How do we know what we know? Ontological and epistemological debates in sustainability transitions research

While there is a principal agreement amongst most sustainability transitions researchers about the need for collaboration across disciplines to understand transitions, such collaborations can become difficult in practice. This is in part because scholars tend to disagree about a) how to understand the world (ontology), and b) what constitutes important knowledge about transitions (epistemology). From such a basic observation, this chapter explores ontological and epistemological debates within sustainability transitions research. It begins by outlining the dominant frameworks, particularly the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), and their foundational assumptions drawn from evolutionary economics and Science and Technology Studies (STS). The chapter identifies two main criticisms of the MLP: the need for an expanded epistemic focus and ontological critiques from proponents of "flat ontologies" and critical realists. It then discusses new epistemological approaches that challenge the basic plotline of the dominant theories: that transitions primarily emerge through innovation journeys. These criticisms focus on capitalism, coloniality, and justice, emphasizing how the basic narrative of mainstream transition studies tends to externalize such concerns. The chapter concludes by supporting radical theoretical pluralism as key to understanding the increasing complexities of sustainability transitions.