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
Highlights
On account of the complexity and universal character of the urbanisation process, many academic disciplines, including Social Work, focus on this phenomenon
It should be kept in mind that the boundaries between disciplines have become much more vague in recent times – the uniqueness of a scientific discipline is rooted in its core, not on its periphery
The urban dynamics in the respective cities will be compared in the light of three research questions related to the Berlin declaration on Urban 21 (Eva, 2001): (i) How does citizen participation influence the creation of local identity and city life? Research undertaken during the 1990s in both Africa and Europe points to the increasing importance that local life and local ties have for the identities of urban dwellers
Summary
On account of the complexity and universal character of the urbanisation process, many academic disciplines, including Social Work, focus on this phenomenon. Will remain, vitally important, broader approaches of interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity are needed to focus on the increasingly integrated problems and issues of today's complex world.
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