Engineering with Social Sciences and Humanities: necessary partnerships in facing contemporary (un)sustainability challenges

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dc.contributor.authorByrne, Edmond
dc.contributor.authorKeohane, Kieran
dc.contributor.authorRevez, Alexandra
dc.contributor.authorBoyle, Evan
dc.contributor.authorMcGookin, Connor
dc.contributor.authorDunphy, Niall
dc.contributor.authorO’Neill, Claire
dc.contributor.authorHarris, Clodagh
dc.contributor.authorHughes, Ian
dc.contributor.authorSage, Colin
dc.contributor.authorBarry, John
dc.contributor.authorÓ Gallachóir, Brian
dc.contributor.authorMullally, Gerard
dc.contributor.editorHyldgaard Christensen, Steen
dc.contributor.editorConlon, Eddie
dc.contributor.editorMitcham, Carl
dc.contributor.editorBuch, Anders
dc.contributor.editorDidier, Christelle
dc.contributor.editorMurphy, Mike
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-03T10:50:05Z
dc.date.available2026-03-03T10:50:05Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractTraditionally, the relationship between engineering, social sciences, and the humanities (SSH) has often been, to varying degrees, fraught, imbalanced and/or non-existent. Engineering has oftentimes been guilty of envisaging SSH as either providing a ‘soft’ window dressing or counterbalance to ‘hard’ projects representing ‘real’ progress, or to be used to more effectively ‘communicate’, for example in overcoming public reticence around such projects. The stories, histories, (her)stories, myths, language, text, images, art, provocations and critical insights which emanate from and characterize SSH are in this (dulled and marginalized) context more likely to be conceived as mere frivolous pursuits to help fill and support leisure time or promote cultural pursuits. This, we argue, not just feeds into the disconnect between respective disciplinary approaches, but seriously and dangerously miscomprehends the value (and values) that SSH can and indeed must bring to the table, in particular when facing emerging and emergent contemporary interconnected challenges around (un)sustainability. SSH can also benefit from such authentic and pragmatic engagement with engineering and science, while highlighting the necessary and invaluable contribution it can make to society, and across our universities, in particular in facing contemporary meta-challenges. This chapter draws upon academics and practitioners from both sides of the house in an Irish university context, who have journeyed together upon such pathways. The terrain and nature of some of these journeys are described, including some of the inherent difficulties and challenges. We highlight the need for journeying together with ‘disciplinary humility’, as equal partners, if we hope to make authentic progress. Finally, some historic and contemporary examples of potential points of convergence are proposed.en
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dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.authororcidByrne, Edmond
dc.identifier.authororcidKeohane, Kieran
dc.identifier.authororcidRevez, Alexandra§0000-0003-4289-448X
dc.identifier.authororcidBoyle, Evan§0000-0001-9117-0926
dc.identifier.authororcidMcGookin, Connor
dc.identifier.authororcidDunphy, Niall§0000-0001-8094-4121
dc.identifier.authororcidO’Neill, Claire§0000-0002-9234-8842
dc.identifier.authororcidHarris, Clodagh§0000-0002-0246-6280
dc.identifier.authororcidHughes, Ian
dc.identifier.authororcidSage, Colin
dc.identifier.authororcidBarry, John
dc.identifier.authororcidÓ Gallachóir, Brian§0000-0002-6608-5997
dc.identifier.authororcidMullally, Gerard§0000-0003-2166-8491
dc.identifier.authororcidHyldgaard Christensen, Steen
dc.identifier.authororcidConlon, Eddie
dc.identifier.authororcidMitcham, Carl
dc.identifier.authororcidBuch, Anders
dc.identifier.authororcidDidier, Christelle
dc.identifier.authororcidMurphy, Mike
dc.identifier.citationByrne, E, Keohane, K, Revez, A, Boyle, E, McGookin, C, Dunphy, N, O’Neill, C, Harris, C, Hughes, I, Sage, C, Barry, J, Ó Gallachóir, B & Mullally, G 2022, Engineering with Social Sciences and Humanities: necessary partnerships in facing contemporary (un)sustainability challenges. in S Hyldgaard Christensen, E Conlon, C Mitcham, A Buch, C Didier & M Murphy (eds), Engineering, Social Sciences, and the Humanities Have Their Conversations Come of Age?. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol. 42, Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 375-393. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11601-8_19
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/978-3-031-11601-8_19
dc.identifier.endpage393
dc.identifier.isbn978-3-031-11600-1
dc.identifier.isbn978-3-031-11601-8
dc.identifier.issn1879-7202
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-0246-6280/work/196997812
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-4289-448X/work/198274924
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-6608-5997/work/198708644
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-2166-8491/work/206752164
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-9117-0926/work/209069771
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-9234-8842/work/212729384
dc.identifier.startpage375
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18591
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.relation.ispartofEngineering, Social Sciences, and the Humanities Have Their Conversations Come of Age?
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPhilosophy of Engineering and Technology
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85146947791
dc.relation.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/14180
dc.relation.urihttps://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-11601-8_19
dc.rights© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectEngineering education
dc.subjectSocial sciences
dc.subjectSociology
dc.subjectSustainability
dc.subjectTransdisciplinarity
dc.titleEngineering with Social Sciences and Humanities: necessary partnerships in facing contemporary (un)sustainability challengesen
dc.typeBook chapter
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