Researching Space, Transgressing Epistemic Boundaries

Abstract

Innovation may be triggered by crossing the lines that delineate the fields of spatial knowledge and practice. Transgressing epistemic boundaries could bring about the possibility of new approaches to researching and transforming space. This paper identifies three interrelated types of epistemic boundary, and critically explores how they may be crossed. Set by definitions of the disciplinary subject matter, concepts, and practices, these boundaries may be crossed, respectively, through relational ontology, meta-disciplinary paradigms, and dialogic practices. These crossings, however, have problems of their own. Epistemic practices are both cognitive and social, and need to be addressed through dynamic and democratic multiplicity.