INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES (IRANIAN JOURNAL OF CULTURAL RESEARCH)
Year:2013 | Volume:5 | Issue:2 (18)|Papers Count:6

As a determinant factor in several socio-political events, Islamism has been considered as the focal point in variety of explorations. The present study suggests that to understand this complex and dynamic phenomena properly, it should be studied as an interdisciplinary concept; a motional one which moves throughout different social and human sciences’ boundaries and thus is not totally accessible within a special discipline. However, providing an opportunity to study the subject matter from various angels, the interdisciplinary approach to the subject helps to avoid reductionism and simplification. In order to obviate critiques emphasising on the methodological weakness of the interdisciplinary studies, it is possible to make critical discourse and debates from the point of view of different disciplines over the subject. This procedural understanding of the matter is a kind of hybridization in which not only all the participating disciplines save their own properties, but also the restrictions of their introspective approach might be overcome. The present study attempts to show that regardless of this interdisciplinary approach, any study on Islamism is improper, and even impossible.

Interdisciplinary can be considered as an advantage when it has a certain relation with scientific and epistemic facilities in a society. In contemporary Iran, some of these facilities are the heritage of our religious intellectualism, and considering interdisciplinary phenomenon, they may be used in scientific and methodological fields, and somehow in academic policy-making. The heritage of Ali Shariati’s intellectualism -- as a thing that cannot be rejected in terms of language, theoretical value, and attraction to students in our thought framework-contains the basis for multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary thought. Therefore, having multi-disciplinary knowledge, Shariati discuses subjects such as human, history, land, and identity-which cannot be explained properly using a mere field of study-in an inter-disciplinary method. The canon of Shariti’s inter-disciplinary thought can be discussed in the concept of “fixed-variable”. This paper conducts a hermeneutical analysis of the interdisciplinary facilities in Shariati’s intellectualism base on “fixed-variable” challenge. The result indicates that interdisciplinary can be a base for making human sciences indigenous in Iran. If we take into account the interdisciplinary based on historical and social facts, the real epistemic and thinking challenges will be revealed and interdisciplinary can be expanded.

It seems that the focus and emphasis on discipline and interdiscipline in the area of knowledge and episteme has a link to the knowledge classification and social and cultural relations of knowledge. The history of knowledge classification shows that the classification criteria are either ontological and moral or methodological and epistemological. The ontological basis is on the fact that existence is hierarchical; moral basis also depends on the amount of effectiveness and usefulness of the knowledge in providing the needs of practical life in individual or social dimensions. Contrarily, methodological basis is formed on the fact that methods for discovering the truth and proving the correct viewpoint are very various. Therefore, method of episteme acquisition in some knowledge is considered different and more complete than others. Similarly, any field of knowledge based on epistemology has emphasized on the truth system. The fact that which criterion should be used for knowledge classification also determines the knowledge owners’ trend towards discipline or interdiscipline. Considering this differentiation, “interdisciplinary” in the first instance has been brought up according to the moral and methodological basis and, contrarily, “discipline” has been obtained according to the methodological and epistemological basis. In the modern age, “discipline” has become the base of education and research due to the domination of the classification resulted from the method and truth criteria. But because of the shortcomings found in these criteria, once again ontological and moral criteria and consequently interdisciplinary came into consideration. Fluidity in the “method” criterion-as a means of classifying the knowledge-has challenged the current boundaries, and taking into account the usefulness of knowledge for problem solving promises interdisciplinary collaborations in the future. Thus, this research studies this issue.

The consequence of political life of any society is the result of how its political tendencies interact and change (Internal and External). Therefore, understanding political life of any society in possible providing that one has a profound ability to know, understand and analyze them. While due to epistemological and evolutional change of political sociology, current theories and methodologies experience some crises and shortcomings to explain political and social changes, this paper presents a second-hand and methodological question on political tendency. It was attempted to theoretically discuss both the content and form of political tendency. It was concluded that Political tendency is a coherent, analytical and conceptually mobile discipline consisted of understanding to reiteration (from specific to general). Going beyond mere description, understanding or reiteration or even propositional recreation or existing relationships among various tendencies, this study offers a more effective methodological, interdisciplinary and instrumental framework for understanding of the society and political life.

Knowledge-oriented social life, society needs and problems complexity, expectation from universities for social services, innovation and academic entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and enriching education and research activities have transformed interdisciplinary activities development to strategic necessity in higher education. In recently half-century, interdisciplinary activities have had suitable outcomes and results for higher education system, industry and society. One of the most important interdisciplinary activities outcomes is inclination for designing and carrying out interdisciplinary activities by universities, industries, government, faculties, researchers and students. Iran's higher education and university system, the development of academic interdisciplinary towards defined goals and plan, so much success has not. With due consideration to importance and necessity of the interdisciplinary activities and existing challenges, by mixed qualitative research method, were investigated and analyzed why, what and how of interdisciplinary activities and its success factors and development requirements in universities. Finally, based on the study, six main factors and twelve key requirements for formation, growth and development of the interdisciplinary in higher education is derived and explained.

The study of social phenomena dominating the society, due to its unique conditions, needs improving and pondering. Although, in the first view, simulating the social phenomena with the mechanical phenomena may be considered illogical due to the complication of social issues, the authors of this paper intend to simulate them through simplicity so that they will demonstrate a more vivid analysis via simpler and more tangible manifestation of social problems and their consequences. To achieve proper and authentic results, the concepts and the definitions of mechanics are borrowed and exerted for the strategy of the investigation, which is conformable with social concepts. It has been tried, based upon the hints of this paper, to review and investigate the country`s social problems by challenging the terms such as stress, fatigue, etc. from two points of view. The first step is to hint the static concepts and their negative consequences and damages, and next, while reviewing dynamic concepts, the dynamic difficulties and awkwardness of the society are explained.