ABSTRACT
Although W.J.T. Mitchell is mostly known for his groundbreaking work in the fields of the theory, history and aesthetics of images, he also contributed to other fields of study, especially the theory of disciplinarity. He developed his ideas, not surprisingly, in discussing the field of “visual culture”, or to put it more precisely in his own words, “visual studies [as the] study of visual culture”.2 This happened especially in one small but very concise essay: “Interdisciplinarity and Visual Culture”.3 This essay will be the focus of my discussion, but I will not discuss the problem of visual studies or visual culture here. There are lots of articles and books on that topic, and I can add nothing to this highly sophisticated debate.4 My approach is different: I think the importance of Mitchell’s musings on interdisciplinarity is strengthened if one can show that they are not restricted to visual culture (or visual studies). His differentiation of three different types of interdisciplinarity and his notion of “indiscipline” are especially interesting and will be the first point for discussion. In the second section of this chapter, this discussion will be related to the field of media studies, which is mentioned (in passing) by Mitchell, as another example of a potential “indiscipline”. Since my background is in media studies in Germany, I will use the German situation to discuss Mitchell’s notions. In the third section I will draw some conclusions.
