Conducting Research in Other Countries

Over the years, we have participated in interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues from various countries and disciplines as wide ranging as engineering, urban planning, architecture, medicine, and theology. As a result, we have learned a great deal about crossing not only disciplinary boundaries but also about the negotiations involved in the international research process. Along the way, we have found that collaborating with colleagues from other nations is one of the most rewarding parts of our academic careers. It takes a great deal of personal and administrative energy, but when it works the process has enriched us in ways that are difficult to enumerate. In this chapter we hope to provide the reader with a summary of some of what we have learned in the process of conducting international collaborative research. In every project we have undertaken, we have learned as much from our mistakes as from our successes. Some of the experiences were painful, others humbling, and some humorous, while yet others provided us with unexpected insights into our profession and ourselves. The sections below are a compilation of the collective wisdom we have gathered in that process. We note that we bring to this chapter our North American perspective and primarily rely on our experience working with colleagues in less wealthy countries. There are of course challenges inherent in work with colleagues in other wealthy countries, some of which are similar and some of which are different from the challenges discussed here