Power in Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research: Theories, Manifestations, and Navigation Strategies

Transformations toward sustainability require new ways of producing knowledge that bridge disciplines and sectors. Yet such transdisciplinary processes are shaped by power relations that influence whose knowledge counts, whose interests are represented, and which pathways for change are legitimized. This review maps the global research landscape on power in transdisciplinary and other co-production processes in sustainability research, identifying patterns across regions, sustainability issues, and approaches to knowledge co-production. We distinguish three types of frameworks linking power, knowledge co-production, and transformation: frameworks for analyzing power within co-production processes, frameworks for navigating power dynamics in practice, and frameworks for transforming broader societal power relations through co-production. Reviewing empirical studies, we trace how power manifests in goals, structures, and processes of transdisciplinary research as well as how it intersects with social identities, knowledge hierarchies, and empowerment. We conclude by synthesizing strategies for reflexive and power-aware transdisciplinary and co-productive practice in the context of sustainability transformations.