Becoming interdisciplinary

Actual discussion of how to do interdisciplinary research is rare, although the abstraction "interdisciplinarity" is a popular topic and frequent claim. This abstraction, its treatment as a transcendental good, and the assumption that it is chiefly an attribute of collaborative teams divert critical attention from the question of how the attempt to expand beyond one's discipline of origin is to be made, whatever the circumstances of research. Here I offer no method or choreography, rather encouragement, qualification, commentary, and some tips from years of following bibliographic and now also hypertextual trails. I offer advice and strategies of wayfinding for an endless exploration of other epistemic cultures and some reflections on its possible effects.