Last week the trainings and discussions we had cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?
The interdisciplinary nature of this program has helped me realize that meaningful work in any field is never done in isolation. Understanding a particular issue often requires drawing from multiple disciplines that are interconnected. Although my project is rooted in sociology, I have found myself reading literature in race studies and economics as well. These fields influence and shape one another, so approaching them separately would remove important nuance from my research. Engaging with diverse academic perspectives has pushed me to think more holistically about the problems I am trying to deconstruct.
As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?
Yes, one of the main challenges I faced was beginning with a broad research question that compares two regions, Jamaica and Ghana, which are geographically, culturally, and historically distinct and were colonized by different European powers. This made starting my literature review especially stressful, as I had an overwhelming number of sources to sort through. Narrowing down and synthesizing this material has been difficult, but it is helping me refine my focus and clarify the specific questions I want to ask.