Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Amalgam, hybridity, and rituals: Overlooked concepts in the analysis of disciplinarity integration patterns

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Masoud Salmani Bidgoli 1
Hamidreza Namazi 2

1 Master’s Degree in History of Medicine, Department of History of Medicine, Faculty of Iranian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor in Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Department of Medical Ethics and School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2026.5603.5198
Abstract
Contemporary academic research increasingly addresses problems that exceed the analytical capacity of a single discipline and therefore require diverse forms of disciplinary interaction. Although multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity have been widely examined, the quality and logic of knowledge integration within these frameworks remain in need of more precise conceptual clarification. This article focuses on three relatively underexplored yet fundamental concepts—hybridization, amalgamation, and interdisciplinary rituals—and aims to develop an analytical framework for a deeper understanding of disciplinary integration processes. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on conceptual analysis and a systematic review of relevant theoretical literature, with key works selected purposively for their conceptual relevance to disciplinary interaction models. The findings indicate that hybridization represents an in-between and often unstable mode of interaction among disciplines, enabling dialogue and cognitive exchange without full integration. In contrast, amalgamation refers to deeper and more stable forms of knowledge integration that result in the emergence of new wholes with novel properties. Furthermore, interdisciplinary rituals, understood as recurring practices in collaborative research contexts, play a significant role in stabilizing shared language and fostering collective research identity. The analysis demonstrates that the analytical application of hybridization and amalgamation is largely confined to the frameworks of multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. A clear distinction between these concepts contributes to the theoretical refinement and qualitative evaluation of integrative research practices.

Keywords

interdisciplinarity
transdisciplinarity
multidisciplinarity
amalgam
hybridity
rituals of interdisciplinarity

Subjects

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Alvargonzález, D. (2011). Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and the sciences. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 25(4), 387-403.
Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G., & Tiffin, H. (2013). Post-colonial studies: The key concepts. Routledge.
Bammer, G. (2013). Disciplining interdisciplinarity: Integration and implementation sciences for researching complex real-world problems. ANU Press.
Battilana, J., & Lee, M. (2014). Advancing research on hybrid organizing–Insights from the study of social enterprises. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 397-441.
Bell, C. M. (1997). Ritual: Perspectives and dimensions. Oxford University Press.
Bernstein, J. H. (2015). Transdisciplinarity: A review of its origins, development, and current issues. Journal of Research Practice, 11(1), 1-20.
Bhabha, H. K. (2012). The location of culture. Routledge.
Bleiker, R. (2016). Multidisciplinarity Routledge handbook of international political sociology. In Handbook of International Political Sociology (pp. 319-327). Routledge.
Bruce, A., Lyall, C., Tait, J., & Williams, R. (2004). Interdisciplinary integration in Europe: the case of the Fifth Framework programme. Futures, 36(4), 457-470.
Cockburn, B., & Gopalakrishnan, J. (2005). New hybridization techniques. GAMM‐Mitteilungen, 28(2), 154-182.
Crystal, D. (2011). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. John Wiley & Sons.
Daley, D. M. (2009). Interdisciplinary problems and agency boundaries: Exploring effective cross-agency collaboration. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 19(3), 477-493.
Darbellay, F. (2019a). From Interdisciplinarity to Postdisciplinarity: Extending Klein's Thinking into the Future of the University. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 37(2), 90-109.
Darbellay, F. (2019b). Postdisciplinarity: Imagine the future, think the unthinkable Postdisciplinary knowledge (pp. 235-250). Routledge.
Dictionary, O. E. (1989). Oxford english dictionary. Simpson, Ja & Weiner, Esc, 3.
Er Saw, P., & Jiang, S. (2020). The significance of interdisciplinary integration in academic research and application. Bio Integration, 1(1), 2.
Fourez, G., Mathy, P., & Englebert-Lecomte, V. (1997). A model for interdisciplinary work. Bulletin of Science. Technology & Society, 17(2-3), 95-104.
Gergen, K. J., McNamee, S., & Barrett, F. J. (2001). Toward transformative dialogue. International Journal of Public Administration, 24(7-8), 679-707.
Graff, H. J. (2016). The “problem” of interdisciplinarity in theory, practice, and history. Social Science History, 40(4), 775-803.
Hollinshead, K. (2016). Postdisciplinarity and the rise of intellectual openness: The necessity for. Tourism Analysis, 21(4), 349-361.
Huutoniemi, K., Klein, J. T., Bruun, H., & Hukkinen, J. (2010). Analyzing interdisciplinarity: Typology and indicators. Research policy, 39(1), 79-88.
Jahn, T., Bergmann, M., & Keil, F. (2012). Transdisciplinarity: Between mainstreaming and marginalization. Ecological Economics, 79, 1-10.
Kapchan, D. A., & Strong, P. T. (1999). Theorizing the hybrid. Journal of American Folklore, 112(445), 239-253.
Klein, J. T. (1990). Interdisciplinarity: History, theory, and practice. Wayne State University Press.
Klein, J. T. (2010). A taxonomy of interdisciplinarity. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity, 15(6), 15.
Largiadèr, C. R. (2007). Hybridization and introgression between native and alien species. Biological Invasions, 275-292.
Lélé, S., & Norgaard, R. B. (2005). Practicing interdisciplinarity. BioScience, 55(11), 967-975.
Martin, J. (2024). Intradisciplinarity: can one theory do it all? Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1310001.
Max-Neef, M. A. (2005). Foundations of transdisciplinarity. Ecological Economics, 53(1), 5-16.
Mazzocchi, F. (2019). Scientific research across and beyond disciplines: Challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinarity. EMBO Reports, 20(6), e47682.
McEwan, P. (2002). Cultural studies as a hidden discipline. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 5(4), 427-437.
Moran, J. (2010). Interdisciplinarity. Routledge.
Nicolescu, B. (2002). Manifesto of transdisciplinarity. Suny Press.
Nicolescu, B. (2014). Methodology of transdisciplinarity. World Futures, 70(3-4), 186-199.
Nowotny, H., Scott, P., & Gibbons, M. (2001). Re-thinking science: Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty. SciELO Argentina.
Pernecky, T. (2019). An unintroduction to postdisciplinarity Postdisciplinary knowledge (pp. 1-21): Routledge.
Portelli, J. P. (1993). Exposing the hidden curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 25(4), 343-358.
Porter, A., & Chubin, D. (1985). An indicator of cross-disciplinary research. Scientometrics, 8(3-4), 161-176.
Post, R. (2009). Debating disciplinarity. Critical Inquiry, 35(4), 749-770.
Repko, A. F., & Szostak, R. (2020). Interdisciplinary research: Process and theory. Sage publications.
Repko, A. F., Szostak, R., & Buchberger, M. P. (2019). Introduction to interdisciplinary studies. Sage Publications.
Shemtov, V. (2001). Metrical hybridization: Prosodic ambiguities as a form of social dialogue. Poetics Today, 22(1), 65-87.
Turner, S. (2000). What are disciplines? And how is interdisciplinarity different. Practising Interdisciplinarity, 46-65.
Van den Besselaar, P., & Heimeriks, G. (2001). Disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary: Concepts and Indicators. Paper presented at the ISSI.
Verhoeven, M. (2011). The many dimensions of ritual. The Oxford handbook of the archaeology of ritual and religion (pp. 115-132).
Wear, D. N. (1999). Challenges to interdisciplinary discourse. Ecosystems, 299-301.
 
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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
Volume 18, Issue 2 - Serial Number 70
Evolutions in Interdisciplinary knowledge
Spring 2026
Pages 33-61

  • Receive Date 20 August 2025
  • Revise Date 06 January 2026
  • Accept Date 03 February 2026

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