The demand that research on social-ecological problems should develop transformative power has manifested itself in the concept of transformative research. It combines knowledge production with transformative action dealing with the concrete situations at stake and has brought forth collaborative research approaches and alliances across societal domains. In Paulo Freire’s work we encounter a radical vision of research and learning as abilities to understand and transform the world that this special issue mobilises for current discourses. The contributions elaborate on Freire’s notion of transformation, connectivity as research principle, affectivity as an important dimension of research, and critically examine the project-centrism in contemporary societies as well as the concept of transformation itself.