URBANIZATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO A COMPLEX PHENOMENON

Authors

  • Izak van der Merwe Department of Geography, University of Stellenbosch.
  • Simon Bekker Department of Sociology, University of Stellenbosch.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15270/39-1-376

Abstract

On account of the complexity and universal character of the urbanisation process, many academic disciplines, including Social Work, focus on this phenomenon. Accordingly, definitions tend to diverge, while the key concepts and research methodologies of the various disciplines are typically at variance with one another. Such a situation makes interdisciplinary and comparative international studies on urbanisation challenging to execute. One such comparative study has been initiated by the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Bordeaux, France, promoting both interdisciplinary as well as intercontinental co-operation. The potential success of this interdisciplinary analysis arises mainly from the openness of concepts and methodologies as well as the judicious choice of cities. In addition, the selection of central questions and of shared themes appears to be important
This paper will reflect on these issues by considering aspects of a recently launched interdisciplinary and international research programme. Some perspective, however, is needed beforehand on the two relevant concepts of interdisciplinarity and urbanisation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

CARUSO, D & RHOTEN, D 2001. Lead, follow, get out of the way – sidestepping the barriers to effective practice of interdisciplinarity. The Hybrid Vigor Institute. [http://hybridvigor.org]

CROSS, C 2000. In: "Proceedings of a graduate workshop on internal migration". Occasional Paper no 11. Department of Sociology, University of Stellenbosch.

DUPONT, V & LANDY, F 2001. "Segregation et territoire. De quoi parle-t-on?" Paper read at an international conference: Espaces, territories et identities en Afrique du Sud et en Inde. Paris.

EVA, G (ed) 2001. Proceedings of a Workshop on City Comparison – International Scientific Co-operation Programme (PICS). Occasional Paper, no 12. Department of Sociology, University of Stellenbosch.

HALL, P & PHEIFFER, U (eds) 2000. Urban Future 21: A global agenda for twenty-first century cities. E&FN Spon, Londen.

JOHNSTON, RJ (ed) 2000. The dictionary of Human Geography. Oxford: Blackwell.

KUPER, A & KUPER, J 1996. The Social Science Encyclopedia. London: Routledge.

MINISTRY IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 1995: "Urban Development Strategy of the

Government of National Unity", Government Gazette vol 365, no 16679. Pretoria: Government

Printers.

NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION 2002: Guide to research support 2003 – NRF Focus

Areas. [http://www.nrf.ac.za/funding/guide/index.stm]

PELLMAR, TC & EISENBERG, L 2000. Bridging disciplines in the brain, behavioural and

clinical science. Washington: National Academy Press.

[http://books.nap.edu/html/bridgingdisciplines]

WEINGART, P & STEHR, N 2000. Practising interdisciplinarity. Toronto: University of

Toronto Press.

Downloads

Published

2014-08-01

How to Cite

van der Merwe, I., & Bekker, S. (2014). URBANIZATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO A COMPLEX PHENOMENON. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.15270/39-1-376

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 1 (2003)

Section

Articles

License

This journal is an open access journal, and the authors  and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.

Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.

The following license applies:

Attribution CC BY-4.0

This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.

Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.