{{Draft|author=MBauwens|date=2026-02-02}}
'''Interdisciplinarity''' refers to the integration of knowledge and methods from different disciplines, using a synthesis of approaches to address complex problems that transcend single-discipline boundaries.

== History ==

=== The Foundational Role of Leo Apostel ===

Tomas Veloz explains:

<blockquote>
"If you're pursuing interdisciplinary research, you're standing on foundations built by Leo Apostel—a Belgian philosopher you've probably never heard of. Apostel (1925-1995) was a polymath who studied with logical positivists like Carnap and Hempel, worked with Piaget in Geneva, and dedicated his career to bridging exact sciences and humanities. At Free University of Brussels (VUB) and Ghent University, he became convinced that the fragmentation of knowledge into isolated disciplines was academia's fundamental problem.

In September 1970, Apostel helped organized what became a watershed moment: a weeklong seminar in Nice, France, sponsored by the OECD's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. The conference brought together leading intellectuals—including Jean Piaget, mathematician André Lichnerowicz, systems theorist Erich Jantsch, and representatives from experimental universities like Sussex and Wisconsin-Green Bay. Their task: theorize how universities could reorganize around problems rather than disciplines.

The resulting publication, Interdisciplinarity: Problems of Teaching and Research in Universities (OECD, 1972), remains the most cited foundational text in interdisciplinary studies. The book established the terminology we still use today—the distinctions between multidisciplinarity (juxtaposition without integration), interdisciplinarity (genuine mutual enrichment between fields), and transdisciplinarity (a higher-order system transcending disciplinary boundaries)."
</blockquote>

=== The Great Optimism (1972-1982) ===

<blockquote>
"The early 1970s saw interdisciplinarity as the future of higher education. The language was revolutionary: disciplines would be 'taught in the context of their dynamic relationships' rather than isolated silos. New fields emerged—cognitive science, environmental studies, women's studies, bioethics—claiming interdisciplinarity as their organizing principle."
</blockquote>

=== The Sobering Reality: "Interdisciplinarity Revisited" (1982) ===

<blockquote>
"Then came the reckoning. In 1982, the OECD published a follow-up evaluation. The findings were stark: interdisciplinary experiments had 'lost momentum.' Departments and faculties weren't just back—they were strengthened. Most radical restructurings had either failed or been absorbed back into disciplinary organization.

However, researcher Keith Clayton identified a crucial paradox: while 'overt interdisciplinarity' hadn't progressed, 'the concealed reality of interdisciplinarity' was flourishing behind 'subject façades.' Interdisciplinarity worked better as informal practice than formal structure."
</blockquote>

=== Why Did Institutional Reform Fail? ===

<blockquote>
"The structural barriers were formidable:
* Tenure and career advancement followed disciplinary lines
* Funding agencies organized by discipline
* Reproduction problem: interdisciplinary programs couldn't train new generations of interdisciplinarians
* Fragmentation: each 'interdiscipline' became just another specialization"
</blockquote>

== See Also ==

* [[Transdisciplinarity]]
* [[Systems Thinking]]
* [[Academic Reform]]

== Source ==

* [https://tveloz.substack.com/p/the-hidden-history-of-interdisciplinarity "The Hidden History of Interdisciplinarity" by Tomas Veloz]

[[Category:Education]]
[[Category:Knowledge]]
[[Category:Research]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]