Interdisciplinary Studies Overview

Principles

Definition

Interdisciplinary studies is a mode of academic inquiry that critically draws upon and synthesizes knowledge, methodologies, and perspectives from multiple distinct disciplines. Its significance lies in its capacity to address complex phenomena or questions that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, fostering comprehensive understanding and innovative solutions.

Ontological type

Core Methodologies

Curricular Models

Historical Development

Key developments

Key Figures

Field Formation and Mapping era

Paul Edwards [1] was active at New York University [3] and the University of Edinburgh [4] during this era. His key contribution, the encyclopedia entry The Encyclopedia of Philosophy [7], helped map interdisciplinary boundaries by collating and linking philosophical knowledge across fields, underscoring the era's epistemic mapping. Howard D. White [2] was affiliated with the University of Arizona [5] and Drexel University [6] during this period. His cocitation work, the papers author cocitation: A literature measure of intellectual structure [8] and cocited author retrieval online: An experiment with the social indicators literature [9], provided a methodological framework for mapping intellectual structure and online bibliometric retrieval, crucial for stabilizing cross-disciplinary identities and research agendas.

Reflexive Boundary Work era

David J. Silverman [1] is associated with University of Maryland, Baltimore [3] and University College London [4] in this era. His key contribution during this era includes the 1997 paper Interpreting Qualitative Data Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction [7], which helped reframe qualitative analysis as a reflexive, boundary-spanning practice that integrates talk, text, and interaction across disciplinary divides. Achille Mbembé [2] is associated with Yale University [5] and Columbia University [6] in this era. His 2003 paper Necropolitics [8] offered a foundational critique of sovereignty and biopower, introducing the concept of necropolitics and showing how state violence and racialized governance shape life and death, a contribution that crystallized interdisciplinary discussions of power and boundary-making in this era.

Posthuman Knowledge Ecologies era

Rob Kitchin [1] is associated with the National University of Ireland [3] and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology [4] in this era. His key contribution is the paper Big Data, new epistemologies and paradigm shifts [7], which argued that large-scale data practices generate new epistemologies and paradigm shifts, reshaping knowledge production in this era. Rosi Braidotti [2] is affiliated with Cardiff University [5] and Utrecht University [6] in this era. Her contributions include A Theoretical Framework for the Critical Posthumanities [8], which offers a critical framework for integrating nonhuman agencies into knowledge practices and informs the posthuman knowledge ecologies of this era.