The interdisciplinary transcends the limits of a discipline.
The first step we are going to take is to determine the etymological origin of the word in question. In doing so, we will discover that it comes from Latin, since it is made up of several lexical components of that language: the prefix “inter-“, which is synonymous with “between”; the word disciplina, which can be translated as “discipline”; and finally the suffix “-ario”, which indicates belonging or origin.
Interdisciplinary is an adjective that refers to something that involves several disciplines . The term is usually applied to activities, research and studies where experts in different subjects cooperate . For example: “The Nuevo Sol de Noviembre Association presented the conclusions of its interdisciplinary work on child abandonment” , “An interdisciplinary study financed by the oil company states that the country is losing three meters of coastline per year” , “We have to form an interdisciplinary team to participate in the Amsterdam fair” .
Quality of interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity implies going beyond the usual boundaries of a school of thought or an academic discipline. This quality usually appears when new needs arise that require doing work that is different from what was done up to that point.
Globalized terrorism is an example of a topic that requires interdisciplinary work. It is a phenomenon that has exploded in recent decades and requires an interdisciplinary response, since it goes beyond security experts and must include the contributions of sociologists, psychologists, theologians and even economists to understand the topic in all its depth.
Interdisciplinary work is essential in many areas.
Different institutions
In addition to all of the above, we could highlight the existence of what has been called the Interdisciplinary Institute of Gender Studies. Within the Argentine University of Buenos Aires, and more specifically within the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, there is the aforementioned institution that was launched in the 1990s.
Carrying out various studies on women as well as organizing events that analyze their role throughout history are some of the objectives of this institute, which is currently working on initiatives related to ethnic minorities and sexuality, gender and kinship in contemporary Argentine society or the philosophy of the great Judith Butler.
In Chile there is also a centre very similar to the aforementioned Argentine institute, while in other countries such as Uruguay there is the so-called Interdisciplinary Space (EI). The aim of this is for the University to work together on aspects such as teaching, outreach and research.
Interdisciplinary field
An interdisciplinary field is medical mathematics , a scientific discipline that uses mathematics to explain phenomena and processes related to medicine and biology . These studies require the participation of specialists in statistics, calculus, logic and various medical areas.
Interdisciplinarity, in short, is a methodological framework that characterizes a scientific practice and involves the integration of methods, theories and instruments from different disciplines.