PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Interdisciplinarity is highly rated: when research projects are being planned, research funding applied for or research being evaluated, "the dialogue between the disciplines" often takes on a special value and interdisciplinary co-operation seems highly desirable. This article does not add any new aspects to reflection on the pros and cons of such co-operation, but looks at concrete experiences in everyday co-operation with colleagues from other disciplines. Examples from my own projects involving linguistics and medicine show that completely unexpected problems often arise in practical research in matters which from the point of view of conversation analysis do not appear to be problematic - for example in the analysis of transcripts. They make clear that even if all those involved think they are in agreement about premises and procedures, as the actual work proceeds considerable differences can arise: different meanings for apparently common terms, different theoretical frameworks, different priorities. Nevertheless this article is a plea for interdisciplinary work: on the one hand, especially in the field of conversation analysis, at least for the analysis of professional interactions, interdisciplinarity is virtually essential; on the other hand it offers a unique opportunity to at least make a start in overcoming the limits of one's own perspective.