ABSTRACT
This chapter is about some of the issues relating to establishing an academic discipline. It discusses this in the context of information systems, but many of the concerns are found in other subjects which are trying to establish themselves. Indeed there were similar growing pains relating to disciplines which are now well established in universities. In the Faculty of Social Sciences at Southampton, there are groups such as social work and accounting which are also not well established in many universities, as well as politics and economics which are well established. However, some of the concerns expressed here are also relevant to established disciplines. For example, there are debates in English and anthropology departments about the nature of their disciplines. Perhaps such debates are a healthy part of any lively discipline and an indication that the discipline is relevant and will remain relevant.
