Interdisciplinarity and knowledge organisation - Prospects for Human Ecology in academia?

• Human Ecology is after half a century still an embryonic academic subject, characterised by a vague and contested knowledge core and lack of successful research programs. There are many reasons for this problematic condition, including epistemic diversity, institutional structures and knowledge politics in academia at large as well as cognitive limitations of individual researchers and values in the knowledge culture of human ecology. Further, Human Ecology as a broad interdisciplinary field nowadays has to compete with disciplinary based strong environmental research programs within the social sciences like environmental politics, environmental sociology and environmental economy as well as several mature environmental natural sciences. Given these conditions, what are the prospects for Human Ecology in academia? This paper will contribute to this discussion by analysis of a single case, Human Ecology in the local context of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. This may illuminate more general characteristics that can be used for informed strategic decisions for future paths of development.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

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