Description

Interdisciplinarity and collaboration in Swedish archaeology: challenges and opportunities in cross-cutting research

Ingrid Berg, PhD in archaeology, Project Coordinator at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Culture and Society (CIRCUS), Uppsala University.

Interdisciplinarity has become something of a buzzword in national and international research politics in the past decades. Often interdisciplinary research is described as a solution for solving acute societal problems – projects on climate change and covid-19 are two examples. At the same time, strong disciplinary structures and academic gate-keeping serve to protect the integrity of academic disciplines, and it is difficult for interdisciplinary projects to get funding through traditional grant calls. Conflicting academic career agendas, epistemological differences and publishing traditions might also make collaboration difficult. Researchers who wish to engage in collaborative research across disciplines thus face challenges along the way. At CIRCUS, we assist researchers within the Humanities and Social Sciences with tools for making their collaborations more fruitful, more fair and more fun. 

In this seminar, I want to discuss the opportunities and challenges with collaborative, interdisciplinary research in Swedish archaeology with you. Examples from Uppsala University will be used as a base for discussion. The small survey that I sent out will help us map the interdisciplinary profile of your department as well as give us an opportunity to discuss your experiences of the benefits and challenges with cross-cutting research in archaeology. 

Please note that before the seminar Ingrid would like us to do some work. She says:
'In preparation for the seminar, I would be grateful if the attendees could fill out this small survey about interdisciplinary research. I want to base the seminar in the researchers’ own experiences and I would appreciate their initial feedback: https://doit.medfarm.uu.se/bin/kurt3/kurt/51745