Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Moving Forward

Moving Forward. It is an experience worth living if we are to contribute to interdisciplinarity. The theme "Interdisciplinarity in the Social Sciences and the Arts" with far-reaching insight has allowed many of us to break in and negotiate the existing and non-existent disciplinary boundaries. Existing because many disciplines have their native lands but they are not at all islands; they need if they are to benefit the humanity to stretch out their arms and embrace one another to contribute to human knowledge and well-being.

After a long journey from Rwanda to Scotland, I am fully aware of the long distance disciplines have to go to come to a common denominator, to a lesser or a greater extent. Shall I say only antropologists are better positioned to cross the disciplinary limits? No, each discipline has what to offer and gain from interdisciplinarity. This proves right researchers who, myself included, are prone to using mixed-methods strategies. I have witnessed how Language/Linguistics or Literature, put it as you please, Antropology, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Education, Musicology, Computing Science, and so forth can establish an interwoven network of interdisciplinarity. This is no rocket science but daily reality.

Jean Providence, Kigali Institute of Education, Rwanda