Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Methodological Coordinates of Transdisciplinary Futures Studies as an Integrated Meta-Paradigm

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Mahdi FatehRad 1
Reza Jalilvand 2
MohammadMahdi Mowlaei 2
Saeid Samiie 3
Leila Nasrolahi Vasati 4

1 Institute of Water and Energy, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

2 Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Iran.

3 Ph.D Student of Future Studies, University of Tehran, Iran.

4 M.A. in Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran.

https://doi.org/10.7508/isih.2014.21.007
Abstract
Futures research is transdisciplinary knowledge to understand the changes and futures. In the context of interdisciplinary methodology, current study reviews the paradigms of futures studies referring to typology of Joseph Voros and introduces five research paradigms including Positivism, Post-positivism, Criticalism, Constructivism and Participatory. The differences and similarities of these paradigms in the levels of anthology, epistemology, and methodology would be discussed and then, characteristics of each paradigm in terms of research purpose, status of researcher, nature of knowledge, and accumulated knowledge would be argued. In the next step, the main techniques and methods of futures studies such Trend Impact Analysis, Delphi, Scenarios, Causal Layered Analysis, and etc. are discussed. Further, we try to identify the status of each technique and method in the five mentioned methodologies. Finally, we introduce Integral futures approach as a newest methodology in futures studies to consider how this meta-paradigm is used in the area of futures studies.

Keywords

Futures studies methodology
Interdiciplinary knowledge
Research paradigms
Integral futures
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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
Volume 6, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
Winter 2014
Pages 135-161

  • Receive Date 04 October 2013
  • Revise Date 06 December 2013
  • Accept Date 14 December 2013

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PDF Download 11,710

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