ABSTRACT
This chapter focusses on interdisciplinary doctorates but will also be of interest to anyone who, at any stage of their career is, like me, finding their way between disciplines. Following an overview of the history of interdisciplinarity, and an exploration of the experiences of interdisciplinary doctorates as discussed in the academic literature, I discuss the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary work from my perspective as a Sociologist working in a Medical School. I argue that the political, emotional, embodied experience of the doctoral journey is particularly evident in the case of interdisciplinary work, although this is seldom mentioned. Whilst there is widespread academic excitement about interdisciplinarity, a deeply entrenched monodisciplinary culture persists with profound effect. Notwithstanding the practical issues (of learning to work in several distinctive ways and to several distinctive agendas) and the need to understand and reconcile distinctive knowledge paradigms, doctoral students can experience personal and social conflict and find themselves feeling adrift with little guidance. Highlighting and reflecting on the tensions inherent in our interdisciplinary journeys, however, can lead to the development of new tools to help us ‘think outside the box’.
