INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES (IRANIAN JOURNAL OF CULTURAL RESEARCH)
Year:2016 | Volume:8 | Issue:2 (30)|Papers Count:10

By reviewing the literature of spatial organization and analyzing urban systems as an interdisciplinary field, two different paradigms have been recognized: size- based and network-based paradigms. The first one relies on the definition of urban system as a collection of nodes (urban settlements) organized based on their internal attributes. This paradigm, while ignoring interaction among them, focuses on the concentration of activities or functions in nodes. In the last few decades and with the emergence of the system approach, defined as "an interdependent national or regional set of cities" as a system, considerable attention has been paid to investigating reciprocal interurban relationships. In this period, the element of interaction became more important in the description of urban systems. Following this, since the position of a given city in the urban system is a function of interurban flows, it is affected by the relationship with others. This approach considers the interurban relationship as horizontal and non- local interactions, which are features of service economies versus industrial economies. Thus, to understand and apply these approaches, first, the theoretical literature on space organization in urban systems and its evolution were reviewed; then, the new dominant theoretical and epistemological rationality, with its attributes and components, was explained, compared and categorized in order to develop new insights for operational research. This article is fundamental in its objective, and has employed descriptive methodology based on contextual data to do a comparative study of theoretical content and ontological basics of traditional approaches versus new ones.

Critical hermeneutics is rooted in philosophy of knowledge, in general, and in the methodology of human sciences, in particular. This approach is methodologically considered as a qualitative study with the aim of achieving internal understanding in various fields such as linguistic, longitudinal and experimental sciences. Jurgen Habermas, one of the precursors of Frankfurt School, is the pioneer of this method. In 1981, he published one of his best works entitled "Communicative Interaction Theory", and added the symbolic aspects of social interaction to Frankfurt critical theory. Thus, critical hermeneutics does not pursue a "unifying answer"; rather it seeks to portray the social phenomena that are derived through discourse. Discourse, as a means of obtaining data, is used in critical hermeneutics and as Habermas posited, the essential prerequisite for discourse is to provide space devoid of any trace of power. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with individuals, and by transcribing the interviews, converted the phenomenon into text. These texts constitute the research data of the study. Then, the researchers interpreted the textual form of the phenomena and represented the obtained results in several limited themes, each of which is further split into certain limited categories. Since the main advantage of critical hermeneutics is developing and reorienting the existing interpretative approaches to the study of management, this paper attempts to examine this approach as a qualitative research method in organization and management studies, and represent its process and key features.

Transition from discipline to interdisciplinary studies, in addition to epistemological plurality, signifies a kind of methodological plurality. Where the possibility of various and unspecialized perceptions is taken for granted and interdsciplinarity emerges, methods and tools are transformed as well. In this regard, interdisciplinarity involves two important changes in the system of knowledge: on the one hand, the claimed or imagined borderlines of a specific discipline or field are crossed by the concepts or variables of another discipline or field; on the other hand, the methods of research and study migrate from one discipline to another discipline. However, if these two changes do not occur based on firm foundations and predetermined criteria, they will result in mental and methodological confusion instead of effectiveness. The present article examines transition from discipline to interdisciplinary studies while taking into account the two challenges mentioned above and considering the outcomes of this transition in the scientific society of Iran.

The assessment of any legal system, such as trademark law, requires a comprehensive understanding of that system, and this can be made possible only through awareness of the objectives and foundations of that system. This awareness in trademark law helps us interpret better, especially where there are no statutes. Trademark law is highly influenced by both moral and legal issues and the basics of market economy because trademark has fully economic dimensions as well, and the existence of trademark depends on the economic efficiency of the market. This highlights the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach with the aim of understanding this supportive system. Natural law theory and contractual theory legally justify the protection of trademark. Beside these two theories, the search cost theory and incentive of producers, as two important economic factors, justify the protection of trademark even more powerfully. Nonetheless, trademark legal system relies on all these foundations and each of them is necessary to interpret trademark law.

In this research this question is addressed: are the physical-spatial changes in contemporary markets of Iran, as a pioneer in promoting the noble values of Islam, in accordance with Islamic principles and values? In this article, through an analysis of religious texts, using qualitative content analysis, four physical-spatial indicators are deduced for markets; these indicators include the need to mention spiritual truths in physical-spatial structure of market, avoiding the collective social spaces in the market, the alignment of physical market patterns with Islamic identity, and locating the market in meta-local situations. An interdisciplinary analysis was carried out which indicated that the decline in these indicators in contemporary markets is rooted in the contemporary intellectual foundations of the West, whose economic impacts have resulted in the liberal capitalist economic system; one of the most important features of this system is the promotion of the culture of consumerism and a decline in Islamic physical-spatial indicators in contemporary markets, which is in accordance with the requirements of this culture.

Geography as a science of the spatial analysis of phenomena is based on three main objectives: studying spatial structures, examining the locational- spatial order of socio- economic activities, and searching spatial relationships and functions through hierarchical leveling of rural and urban settlements. The applied form of geography or "spatial planning" addresses the modification of spatial structures, the locational- spatial order of activities, and the organization of spatial relationships and functions. There are mutual interactions between structure and function in this spatial order. Science has developed a complex structure through the electronic revolution, which is called "third wave science"; also specialized studies have developed. Specialized studies result in a very deep understanding of subjects, but this deep understanding always remains just in a "spot" and its applications could be traumatic, which is because it is not regulated in combination with other dimensions of human life. This kind of science cannot be beneficial in human life or solve some important problems. The main aim of this article, which is based on qualitative content analysis, is to analyze geography as an interdisciplinary science. The findings of the study show that geographical research has interdisciplinary characteristics; otherwise it cannot explain today’s complex problems. Geography can both use the findings of other sciences, including statistics, mathematics, economics, sociology, history and psychology, and provide them with services and help.

In today's world, foresight approach is in the center of attention, and countries, regions and companies have started to develop plans in an organized, systematical way about a favorable future in a world that is becoming increasingly complex. Foresight is a systematic, participatory process that gathers perceptions of future and establishes medium- term and long- term outlooks with the aim of making up-to-date decisions and mobilizing common actions. The most important functions of foresight are: determining directions, identifying new trends, adapting goals to known needs, protecting and promoting decisions and policies with the preferences of stakeholders, improving external communications with research and educational users, and ultimately, defining priorities. Due to the importance of foresight and its effects on national macro plans, the success and efficiency of foresight processes have always been among important concerns of authorities. The present article tries to develop an appropriate framework for the implementation of foresight plans in Yazd's Spatial Planning Document using meta- synthesis. For this purpose, the existing foresight frameworks were studied by researchers and experts, a new framework for foresight study was developed, and its reliability was verified by a group of experts. The difference of this framework with other ones lies in developing more comprehensive measures.

The conditions of success and reasons for failure of development strategies and plans, are among the most important "development studies" issues. This has been explained in different ways: for example, there is a strong relationship between the efficiency of development strategies and plans and development theories. Based on paradigmatic- implicative theory, which explains the relationship between development theories and political thought and considers the development theory as one of the practical implications of political thought, a condition for the success of development strategies and development plans can be found to be rooted in the political thought foundation. Therefore, in the present article we explore the political thought supporting Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth theory, as one of the oldest and most important development theories which in the 1960s resulted in understanding development as "growth". We use qualitative content analysis method to show that the political foundation of Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth theory is based on the principle of "the most utility for the most people" in accordance with Bentham's utilitarian political thought.