Interdisciplinary collaboration challenges authoritarianism

It's not unusual for campuses to laud the presence of key interdisciplinary projects or teams. But reimagining research and learning so that interdisciplinary collaboration drives everything - unimaginable!

Utrecht University (Netherlands), one of the world's oldest universities, established its Institutions for Open Societies initiative in order to align the institution more directly with the needs of its students and the communities in which they live. The IOS started through more limited interdisciplinary work and evolved into what Dr. Bas van Bavel says, "...embodies and reflects Utrecht's commitment to simultaneously advance both academic achievements and societal good. The program aims to answer two vital questions: Why do societies develop so divergently? And how do institutions contribute to the formation of open and sustainable societies?"

As van Bavel indicates, the very foundations of societies that used to clearly advance the idea of equitable access to opportunity and prosperity are at risk. Through the IOS, Utrecht is attempting to determine why and how this has happened and find ways to renew progressive democratic values through exploring five focal points; social entrepreneurship, citizen-based initiatives, future of work, gender and diversity, and security in open societies. We know that all higher education plays a vital role in diminishing the inclination toward authoritarianism. As Carnevale says, the problem is that authoritarianism prefers uniformity, or the "security of sameness over the uncertainty of difference"... where "even those who typically are not so inclined can be willing to suppress the rights of others to protect their own sense of dominance or personal safety." This inclination toward authoritarianism is particularly evident at this point in history and higher education's role in countering it is one of the most important bulwarks against its corrosive influence.

The Utrecht project has the potential to transform the way disciplines inform each other, which has long been one of the greatest impediments to relevant research and teaching. The broad commitment of higher education to liberal learning also stands against authoritarianism that so endangers democratic societies. The question then becomes, how do the integrated findings of interdisciplinary scholars and commitment to liberal learning translate into students' experiences and the potential impact that they have where they work and live?