1.4. Approaches for interdisciplinary projects

Some approaches for interdisciplinary projects are: - Problem driven approaches, driven by government agencies, NGOs, foundations, patrons. - Open exploration - emergent goals. - Community identified goals. - Interdisciplinary subcontracting. In some large scale scientific research grants, the public education and dissemination pieces are subcontracted to artists, curators, bloggers or citizen organisations. Such an approach is pragmatic and effective but may not contribute to negotiation of disciplinary world-views etc.

Common goals without common ground. It is possible to imagine that intelligent people of goodwill can come together to achieve a goal which they share, and for which they are motivated to work, both because they believe in the goal and because they will depart with a reward in a currency they can use. The solution to such a problem is not the subjection of all participants to one disciplinary worldview, nor the assumption of the possibility of universal language that will undergird the enterprise, but rather the recognition that knowledge and experience are fundamentally heterogeneous and that common languages must be negotiated.

The process itself can stimulate interdisciplinary action. Make the process itself pleasant. Personal bonds and shared experiences can be a good basis for working together, as well as the satisfaction of working with a community. Shared experiences often contribute to working together. Shared events, research trips, shared humour and myths contribute to the building of community coherence.