Truly cross-disciplinary work requires openness and integrated academic thinking, reconciles tradition with modernity, and links China to the West.

 

Widely used in social sciences and the humanities, cross-disciplinary research has led to new research findings and the emergence of new fields. If utilized properly, cross-disciplinary research yields innovations, but if the method is inappropriate, studies will generate useless results.

Scholars from diverse fields should recognize the value of research within a single discipline, which is characterized by specialized knowledge and methodology as well as clear-cut disciplinary boundaries. Otherwise, cross-disciplinary work may fall into a routine and may even be abused.

Cross-disciplinary research in China faces many challenges. For example, the number of disciplines integrated hardly matters if the methodology is misused in the name of cross-disciplinary study. Conceptual barriers can also arise in cross-disciplinary study because some scholars run the risk of adopting farfetched concepts from other support disciplines to explain their opinions without considering the different context.

In addition to problems related to abuses of methodology and concepts, scholars need to address the issues of disciplinary boundaries and the subjectivity of the “home discipline,” also known as the major discipline. If they have only a fuzzy grasp of the major discipline, the researchers cannot clearly distinguish the lines separating different disciplines, causing the advantages of the major discipline to be obscured by the supporting disciplines.

The aforementioned challenges of cross-disciplinary study shows that academic research ought to be conducted more cautiously and seriously. It is also clear that a few scholars lack respect for academic research and its methodology. A problem-solving orientation should be established before beginning cross-disciplinary work, which means academics who delve into this research need to try to identify a problem or areas where further cross-disciplinary work will be appropriate and focus research on that problem from multiple perspectives.

The goal of cross-disciplinary research should be to answer questions and solve problems, not to simply integrate disciplines. Thus, problem-oriented research requires that the perspectives of multiple disciplines be collectively harnessed to solve an issue, while academic analysis needs to be devoted to the solution of practical problems.

Consolidated theories are also needed in cross-disciplinary work. The major discipline should provide the theoretical foundation while drawing on the theories and methodologies from other support disciplines, which will enrich the research as a whole and weed out studies with irrelevant results.

Open and holistic thinking is indispensible for studies that transcend the boundaries of a single discipline and borrow the theories or methods from other disciplines. Good communication between scholars from different disciplines ought to be addressed in case the concepts or ideas are applied incorrectly. Based on understanding as well as respect for the differences and boundaries of multiple disciplines, good communication aims to make collaboration among different disciplines seamless.

Cross-disciplinary study also encourages the free dialogue of different disciplines. For example, compatibility and integration might be achieved between literature and some disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, ethics, geography and philosophy, while other subjects might not be so successful.

In summary, as a practical tool for academic research, cross-disciplinary research should avoid falling into a routine or being abused. Truly cross-disciplinary work requires openness and integrated academic thinking that combines history and philosophy with social science, reconciles tradition with modernity, and links China to the West.

 

Zhong Yang is from the College of Chinese Language and Literature at Northwest Normal University.