Space, research objects, and interdisciplinarity in geomorphological inquiry

Thesis

This thesis considers (inter)disciplinary spaces and research objects associated with geomorphology. Employing an ethnographic methodology, established Actor-Network Theory (ANT) themes are examined; the study considers the displacement of research objects amid the spaces of scientific inquiry and the role played by a range of actors in enabling this displacement. However, these well-known themes are given new impetus; the thesis seeks to address deficiencies in ANT accounts of space and it offers an alternative approach to conceptualising scientific research objects. Building on this analysis it considers how the spaces of geomorphological inquiry are reworked to accommodate interdisciplinary research objects. In this way, the study provides a strong theoretical contribution to the literature. However, this theoretical contribution is complemented by an important empirical base. The study is one of only a few Science and Technology Studies (STS) analyses to consider the geosciences. Focusing on late twentieth and early twenty-first century geomorphology, it provides an insight into an interdisciplinary field of research found in both geography and geology departments. In this way it offers an important contribution to the histories of geography literature and the literature on interdisciplinarity. Relatedly, through its attention to the interdisciplinary field of biogeomorphology, the study provides a bridge between existing STS literatures on the biosciences and nascent explorations of the geosciences.

Authors: Tily, R

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford