The interdisciplinary daemon: limits and pitfalls of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects

Abstract

In respect to the application of multiple methods derived from various scientific disciplines most of archaeological research can be unified under the paradigm of multidisciplinarity. The communication between different disciplines combined with the knowledge of their specific functionality and theoretical and methodological framework is crucial for an effective collaboration, with the aim to publish reproducible results and archaeological theories. For this purpose the nature of the necessary theoretical framework should be analyzed to fulfill the demands of interdisciplinarity. Different scientific approaches especially of humanities and nature sciences might cause misinterpretation of given data and theories. Whereas the separation of concepts to derive knowledge into clearly defined disciplines was and still is a necessary and productive step, it appears that this separation also causes problems within interdisciplinary investigations nowadays. In this sense this separation is both - a very powerful tool but also limiting possibilities for further knowledge.