Fractures, Networks and Transdisciplinary Horizons in the Contemporary University

Abstract

The contemporary university is going through a structural epistemic crisis, evidenced in disciplinary fragmentation and the inability to respond to global complexity. This essay analyzes the fractures that affect the production and legitimation of knowledge, proposing transdisciplinarity as an ethical and political horizon of transformation. It is argued that the dialogue of knowledge, the organization in dynamic networks and intercultural collaboration are necessary methodological conditions to face contemporary challenges. Likewise, it is argued that sustainability cannot be conceived without a profound change in the epistemological commitments of the university, articulating cognitive justice, ecological solidarity and systemic interdependence. It is concluded that transdisciplinarity is not simply an alternative methodology, but an act of resistance against the fragmentary logics of modernity, opening possibilities to imagine and build more just, sustainable and plural futures.