Introduction. Beyond Collaboration: Toward a Politics of Alliances

Abstract

In the national and international anthropological scene, there seems to be a tacit consensus on the need to integrate and collaborate between the natural sciences and the social sciences within research projects and programs that respond concretely to the many contemporary social challenges. The aim of this special issue is to initiate a critical reflection on “interdisciplinarity” by going beyond the conventional rhetoric that celebrates the coming together of different scientific knowledges. In an endeavor to provide substance to the frequently empty notion of interdisciplinarity, this special issue has been established with the express intention of giving space to concrete experiences of anthropologists who perceive interdisciplinarity to be a catalyst for both intellectual innovation and political potential. These scholars, often operating beyond the confines of academia, have established collaborative networks with the aim of addressing the pressing challenges of the contemporary era. This issue thus prompts an exploration of the forms of knowledge that emerge beyond the established boundaries, within the enclaves where contaminated and rebellious alliances become possibilities for shared thought and action.