Meeting grounds: perceiving and defining interdisciplinarity across the arts,social sciences and sciences

Abstract

Interdisciplinary work encourages porosity in disciplinary boundaries and the osmosis of knowledge. However, it depends on a willingness of those working within and across disciplines to build bridges instead of erecting walls. One threat to its growth is that academics often refuse to acknowledge the problems of interdisciplinary scholarship. A series of interviews with lecturers and students (mostly from the Department of Geography at Durham) provide some of the data for this article, which discusses attempts to bridge gaps between the sciences and the social sciences, and between the social sciences and the arts. Key points of debate include the ideological split between human and physical geographers, polarisation of research groups, the generational shift in the conceptualisation of geography, and logistical and institutional obstructions to interdisciplinary scholarship. Furthermore, some benefits and disadvantages of conducting interdisciplinary research at doctoral level are explored. We conclude by scanning the proverbial crystal ball in an attempt to foresee what the fate of interdisciplinary studies may be.