Interdisciplinary Research in Social Science: The Relationship between Culture and Literature Studies

Abstract

Interdisciplinary research in the social sciences dates back to the twentieth century and remains a significant trend in the twenty-first century. In interdisciplinary research, much attention has been paid to the relationship between literature and culture since literature is an integral part of culture. In the course of historical development, literary study has made a great contribution to the recognition of the role of culture in the creation and reception of literature and in social life as well. In Vietnam, numerous literary studies delve into national and ethnic identity as a quality of literature, while many other cultural studies value literary materials as signs and criteria to clarify cultural characteristics and identities of the nation. The paper reviews interdisciplinary approaches regarding culture and literature as a means to provide a comparative and multidimentional view in the methodology for interdisciplinary research in social sciences.