The organization of biosemiotics and some challenges for academic inquiry

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Abstract

What is the position of fields like biosemiotics and cybersemiotics in the organizational landscape of academia influenced by the major trends towards more entrepreneurial modes of organizing research? A description of what has been called ‘post-academic science’ is given, and the para-institutional nature of biosemiotics as an academic field is explored. Furthermore, the chapter addresses the place and character of biosemiotics in the academic landscape by using the typology of Richard Whitley and finds that even though biosemiotics may come out as a borderline case between a fragmented adhocracy and a polycentric oligarchy, there are some peculiarities for this young area of highly cross-disciplinary research when seen as a reputational work organization that makes if difficult to apply a typology for established and relatively well demarcated fields.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFrom First to Third via Cybersemiotics. : A Festschrift honoring professor Søren Brier on the occasion of his 60th birthday
EditorsTorkild Thellefsen, Bent Sørensen, Paul Cobley
Number of pages25
Place of PublicationFrederiksberg
PublisherSamfundslitteratur
Publication date2011
Pages349-375
ISBN (Print)¿978-87-7071-028-2
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • Faculty of Science

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