- Apologies for
cross posting -
CALL FOR PAPERS
Culture, Theory & Critique
Subject: Interdisciplinarity
In
recent years interdisciplinarity has become a key dimension in the formulation
and assessment of research. And indeed one of the main elements in Culture,
Theory and Critique’s statement of aims is the exploration of the
interface between disciplines. It is therefore opportune to devote an
issue to what is meant by and what is at stake in the notion and practice of
interdisciplinarity. In autumn 2010 we intend to publish a number of
essays on the topic and suggest various questions amongst others which might be
considered:
·
What are the factors which explain the
recent surge of interest in interdisciplinarity in the humanities? Why
has it become a significant part of the discourse not only of researchers
themselves but also of research managers and funders?
·
What is the relationship between distinct disciplines and interdisciplinarity?
·
How stable are the existing disciplines and how do they respond to the interest
in interdisciplinarity? Are there serious risks of incoherence deriving
from the opening of disciplinary boundaries?
·
References to ‘interdisciplinarity’
often mean expanding the realm of objects that a discipline can treat without
expanding the parameters of the discipline’s theory and methodology.
How can an interdisciplinarity that truly challenges disciplinary
assumptions be articulated and what is the status of the object of study in
such a programme?
·
Can interdisciplinarity really operate in between disciplines or is it only
ever a term used to account for work which draws from more than one
disciplinary field?
·
What are the benefits of interdisciplinary research? Is it in any sense
inherently more probing and comprehensive simply because it combines different
angles of analysis?
·
What are the conceptual and institutional differences between
interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity?
·
How does interdisciplinarity function in different research domains? Do
the sciences and humanities conceive the practice differently and what might
these broad domains learn from the other’s approach?
Culture,
Theory and Critique welcomes theoretical essays on the theme of
interdisciplinarity and critical analyses of particular examples of its
practice. Essays should be submitted for consideration by the end of May 2010.
For
further information about the journal visit: www.tandf.co.uk/journals/RCTC
and click on the Instruction for Authors tab.