Doctoral student Marco Schirone will within library and in formation science\, publicly defend his thesis: The transformation par adox of emerging fields: A Bourdieusian approach to the bibliometric study of sustainability science
\nLink to Diva is available here.
The defence will be hel
d in English.
Opponent is associate professor Alesia Ann Zuccala f
rom University of Copenhagen.
The examining committee members are a
ssociate professor Jenny-Ann Brodin Danell from University of Umeå\, prof
essor Mikael Börjesson from Uppsala University and professor Magdalena Sv
anström from Chalmers University of Technology.
Chair: Ola Pile rot
\nSupervisor is Björn Hammarfelt.
\nThe defence is public ly open and can be followed on campus\, room: M404. Webinar will also be a vailable\, click here for the link.
\nAbstract: How can a field that promotes transformation an d interdisciplinarity simultaneously reproduce the academic hierarchies it seeks to transcend? This thesis examines sustainability science as an eme rging interdisciplinary field\, mobilising Pierre Bourdieu’s field theor y to analyse how symbolic capital\, legitimacy\, and recognition become st ructured as durable institutional forms during field formation.
\nDr awing on four complementary studies\, the thesis traces three decades of i ntellectual and institutional development in sustainability science throug h an analytical framework combining bibliometric mapping\, network analysi s\, and interpretive analysis of editorial discourse. It demonstrates how symbolic reward structures—such as journal hierarchies\, editorial netwo rks\, and citation practices—do not function as neutral measures of scho larly contribution\, but act as instruments in ongoing struggles over fiel d boundaries and legitimate participation.
\nThe thesis employs a re flexive multimethod design to map sustainability science across multiple a nalytical dimensions\, integrating bibliometric analysis\, social network analysis (SNA)\, geometric data analysis (GDA)\, and qualitative content a nalysis (QCA). Using citation and co-authorship patterns\, published edito rials\, and the composition of editorial boards in a selected set of journ als central to sustainability science\, the thesis reconstructs the field ’s intellectual and social organisation\, tracing how recognition struct ures crystallise into durable institutional forms. The analysis identifies three historical phases—Foundation (1993–2002)\, Introspection (2003 –2012)\, and Diversification (2013–2022)—each marked by shifts in ep istemic orientation and the redistribution of symbolic capital. Editorial discourse functions as a central site of symbolic struggle\, where competi ng visions of sustainability science—and rival claims to definitional au thority—are articulated and contested.
\nThe thesis reframes the e mpirical analysis through field-theoretical concepts\, foregrounding recog nition\, hierarchy\, and symbolic power. By treating biblio- metric indica tors not merely as analytical tools but as socially embedded instruments o f valuation\, the study contributes to library and information science (LI S)—particularly scientometrics\, bibliometrics\, and scholarly communica tion—while engaging sociological perspectives on science. The findings p rovide a critical account of how emerging interdisciplinary fields institu tionalise authority while reproducing academic stratification—often in t ension with their programmatic commitments to transdisciplinarity and post -normal science.
END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR