interdisciplinarias

Interdisciplinarias is the feminine plural form of the Spanish adjective interdisciplinario, used to describe approaches, initiatives, or investigations that integrate methods, concepts, and perspectives from two or more academic disciplines. In English, the closest term is interdisciplinarity. The core idea is to address questions or problems that exceed the explanatory power of a single discipline by combining theories, data, and methods from multiple fields.

Interdisciplinarias aim to create a more holistic understanding of complex phenomena. They differ from multidisciplinary efforts, which bring disciplinary perspectives side by side without full integration, and from transdisciplinary initiatives, which seek to develop new frameworks that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Effective interdisciplinary work often involves collaborative research design, shared conceptual models, common terminology, and mechanisms for knowledge integration across disciplines.

Common application areas include climate change, public health, education, urban planning, and environmental policy, where scientific, social, and technical insights must be coordinated. Methods frequently involve cross-disciplinary teams, integrated literature reviews, joint data collection, and iterative collaboration to align goals and outcomes.

Challenges to pursuing interdisciplinarias include epistemological and methodological differences among fields, communication barriers, differing standards of evidence, and institutional or funding structures that favor single-discipline work. Despite these hurdles, interdisciplinary approaches can generate innovative solutions, inform policy, and advance teaching and research by addressing problems in a more comprehensive and nuanced way.