Policies and Politics of Interdisciplinary Research

<p>Interdisciplinary research centers are blooming in almost every university and interdisciplinary research is expected to be a cure-all for the ills of academic science. Do disciplines still matter? To what extent are interdisciplinary problem-solving approaches driven by socioeconomic stakeholders and policymakers rather than by academics? And how is interdisciplinarity organized? Through an in-depth sociological study of the development of nanomedicine in France and in the United States – an area that combines nanotechnology and biomedical research – this book challenges two conventional views of interdisciplinary research and academic disciplines. First disciplines do not merely form separate siloes which hinder the development of interdisciplinary research: rather they are flexible entities whose evolution supports the long-term institutionalization of interdisciplinary science in French and US academia. Secondly interdisciplinary research has no intrinsic virtue: its ability to respond to societal issues and advance knowledge depends on continued political support and long-term cooperation between stakeholders. Interdisciplinarity might also be threatened by oversold promises and struggles for recognition. A study of the many challenges facing the formation of creative and sustainable interdisciplinary scientific communities <em>The Policies and Politics of Interdisciplinary Research </em>tackles vivid debates among academics and research managers and will appeal to scholars of sociology science and technology studies and science policy.</p>