From the Margins to New Ground (PDF)

The authors, two sociologists,
discover, follow-up, examine, and make sense of the cross-roads where the
social and life sciences meet, surprised by the emergent story which they
simultaneously witness and document. Together, they focus on Lea Hagoel's
professional path as a medical sociologist fitting in with bio-medical
scientific work patterns of a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses,
bio-statisticians, IT personnel, molecular biologists, and
managerial-administrative team members. Lea shared her experiences with
Devorah, and what developed into this book consists of the story itself - the
unfolding of events as observed and described by Lea who tells what it was like
for a sociologist. Her story unfolds in the context of the ongoing dialogue
which lasted more than two decades and turned into an autoethnography à deux.
Finally, the ethnographers offer insights into the world of biology and
medicine, into women's lives, into being a native in a disciplinary culture,
and into transdisciplinarity.

In three parts, the book describes
and theorizes the quest of a medical sociologist for transdisciplinarity. Part
I explores the theoretical background, Part II presents the story of different
stages in Lea's experiences tracing the trajectory of her growing professional
repertoire and discovering the practical meaning of how cross-disciplinary
knowledge affects her performance as a researcher in the organization with
which she is affiliated. Part III draws conclusions about what moving between
disciplines can mean for a researcher.