Practising interdisciplinarity…difficulty, troublesome knowledge, structure and improvisation

Description

Practising interdisciplinarity…difficulty, troublesome knowledge,

structure and improvisation

16 March 2007
Venue: CRASSH, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge

Convenors: Dr Lee Wilson, Professor Mary Jacobus

This conference aims to explore what the practice of interdisciplinarity might entail for graduate researchers. The recent interest in and institutional emphasis on interdisciplinarity as a desirable research practice has driven the agenda for collaboration between and across disciplines. Yet the practicalities of doing interdisciplinary research are far from clear. How does the researcher begin to negotiate disciplinary boundaries? What are the implications of pursuing research agendas and employing methodologies that are seen to be interdisciplinary? What kinds of conceptual difficulties are involved in thinking across perceived disciplinary domains? What are the benefits to be gained from doing so? Are there specific forms that interdisciplinary research might take? The conference will examine these issues in relation to the experiences of graduate researchers through a series of themed presentations, panels and discussions