The symbiotic academy: on specialisation and interdisciplinarity

• Published in: Science progress (1916) Vol. 95; no. 4; pp. 447 - 465
• Main Authors: WALKLATE, JENNY, RICHARDS, ADAIR
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Science Reviews 2000 Ltd 01.12.2012; SAGE Publications; Sage Publications Ltd. (UK); Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Academic disciplines; Academies and Institutes - organization & administration; Academies and Institutes - standards; Academies and Institutes - trends; Arts; Book publishing; Congresses as Topic; Cooperative Behavior; Core curriculum; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Curricula; Debates; England; Forecasts and trends; History; History instruction; Interdisciplinary aspects; Interdisciplinary Communication; Interdisciplinary research; Interprofessional Relations; Market trend/market analysis; Museology; Museum studies; Museums; Philosophical subject; Political debate; Research universities; Reviews; Science; Specialization; Specialization - standards; Specialization - trends; Terminology; United Kingdom; United States; Universities; Universities and colleges; England; United States; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; postdisciplinarity; disciplines; academia; interdisciplinarity; university
• ISSN: 0036-8504; 2047-7163
• DOI: 10.3184/003685012X13445364922174

The authors historicise, contextualise and debate the values and problems of both disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. Their aim is not to posit one as superior to the other, nor to suggest that the two are mutually exclusive. Instead, they seek to break down the oppositional dichotomy in which the concepts are often placed, and, further, to propose a 'symbiotic academy' in which the two can exist to their mutual benefit.