7. Integrating ethnographic and physical science methods in interdisciplinary research projects

Researchers and ‘in-country’ Research Associates in interdisciplinary teams combine expertise and experience to tackle transdisciplinary problems. However, there is little instruction available to guide researchers or Research Associates when stepping outside disciplinary comfort zones. The authors discuss how a Critical Physical Geography approach supported team members in developing boundary crossing research in the Sajag-Nepal project. They share three pedagogical moments in team training and effects: 1) Knowledge (learning across disciplines); 2) Sensibility (ethnography as a stepping stone for interdisciplinary fieldwork); and 3) Practices (sensing landslides). Personal reflections from Sajag-Nepal Research Associates underscore lessons learned. It is argued that the purpose of interdisciplinary training is less to teach methods than it is to foster appreciation and curiosity about disciplinary boundary experiences in shared practice contexts. It is essential to invest time and attention to the pedagogy of interdisciplinarity to create equitable fields of knowledge, sensibility, and practice among team members.