International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 5, No. 12; December 2017 ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041 Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://ijsss.redfame.com 44 Fostering Interdisciplinarity: Implications for Social Sciences Sandro Serpa 1 , Carlos Miguel Ferreira 2 , Ana Isabel Santos 3 1 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of the Azores; Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences – CICS.UAc/CICS.NOVA.UAc, and Interdisciplinary Centre for Childhood and Adolescence – NICA – UAc, Azores, Portugal 2 Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences —CICS.NOVA, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies, 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal 3 University of the Azores, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Department of Education; Interdisciplinary Centre for Childhood and Adolescence – NICA – UAc, Azores, Portugal Correspondence: Sandro Serpa, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua da Mãe de Deus 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal. E-mail: sandro.nf.serpa@uac.pt Received: September 20, 2017 Accepted: November 2, 2017 Available online: November 8, 2017 doi:10.11114/ijsss.v5i12.2775 URL: https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v5i12.2775 Abstract At a time when interdisciplinarity is encouraged, the aim of this article is to analyse some of its implications in contexts of teaching, research and professional practice. For this purpose, and through a literature review, the concept of interdisciplinarity is discussed. Subsequently, the paper discusses its importance and the implications of its promotion, focusing on the following aspects: scientific disciplinary identity, institutional consequences, and professional consequences. It is concluded that interdisciplinary collaboration, while being, in general, difficult to achieve, can, provided that it is controlled, be both a source of recognition and scientific and/or professional opportunities for social sciences. However, there are also potential risks not to be overlooked, being important to be aware of them. Keywords: interdisciplinarity, social sciences, sociology, collaboration, scientific knowledge 1. Introduction Sciences have been created and institutionalised through processes of specialisation, through which different areas of scientific knowledge have consolidated an epistemology, a methodology and a body of knowledge that tend to be specific to each scientific discipline and capable of being used in the establishment and analysis of its object of study. However, “specialization is the way to start a discipline, but it must not become a religion. When rigid, it is an impediment to advancing knowledge: the more rigidly specialized, the less relevant to advancing knowledge. Currently this rigidity seems to be the key problem in social and behavioral studies and in the humanities as well” (Scheff, 2015: 116). As a way to combat some of the limitations of this specialisation, there are processes of convergence between the various scientific disciplines that can be named multi-inter-pluri-transdisciplinarity. These concepts are, sometimes, used in a similar way, although they have subtle differences (Barthel, & Seidl, 2017; Stock, & Burton, 2011). Something similar happens regarding the concept of interdisciplinarity itself (Razmak, & Bélanger, 2016). In a concise way, and according to the purposes of this article, there is a difference in depth, but not only, between these four concepts. Multidisciplinarity, the parallel use of several disciplines, without necessarily establishing relations between them (Morval, 1993; Hamel, 1997), seeks to solve problems through the involvement of several scientific disciplines, each tending to analyse different dimensions of a problem. Interdisciplinarity, the combined use of some disciplines that can promote reciprocal transformations in each of these disciplines (Morval, 1993; Hamel, 1997), is characterised by an intense collaboration between disciplines to the point of a potential dissolution of their boundaries in the development of synergies; pluridisciplinarity, the combined and restrictive use of disciplines or elements of these disciplines without such use modifying the elements or the disciplines (Morval, 1993; Hamel, 1997); transdisciplinarity, the interaction between two or more disciplines aiming at the creation of a new discipline on the basis of the articulation of certain constituent elements of these disciplines (e.g. criminology and Morin’s theory of complexity; Morval, 1993; Hamel,