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Night Matters—Why the Interdisciplinary Field of “Night Studies” Is Needed

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher C.M. Kyba

    (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam 14473, Germany
    Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin 12587, Germany)

  • Sara B. Pritchard

    (Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA)

  • A. Roger Ekirch

    (Department of History, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA)

  • Adam Eldridge

    (The School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 7BY, UK)

  • Andreas Jechow

    (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam 14473, Germany
    Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin 12587, Germany)

  • Christine Preiser

    (Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Universität Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany)

  • Dieter Kunz

    (St. Hedwig-Hospital, 10115 Berlin, Germany)

  • Dietrich Henckel

    (Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

  • Franz Hölker

    (Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin 12587, Germany
    Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany)

  • John Barentine

    (International Dark-Sky Association, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
    Consortium for Dark Sky Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA)

  • Jørgen Berge

    (Faculty for Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
    Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Josiane Meier

    (Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

  • Luc Gwiazdzinski

    (Géographe, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38100 Grenoble, France)

  • Manuel Spitschan

    (Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
    Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel (UPK), 4002 Basel, Switzerland
    Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences (MCN), University of Basel, 4055 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Mirik Milan

    (VibeLab, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Susanne Bach

    (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Universität Kassel, 34125 Kassel, Germany)

  • Sibylle Schroer

    (Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin 12587, Germany)

  • Will Straw

    (Department of Art History and Communications Studies, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada)

Abstract

The night has historically been neglected in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. To some extent, this is not surprising, given the diurnal bias of human researchers and the difficulty of performing work at night. The night is, however, a critical element of biological, chemical, physical, and social systems on Earth. Moreover, research into social issues such as inequality, demographic changes, and the transition to a sustainable economy will be compromised if the night is not considered. Recent years, however, have seen a surge in research into the night. We argue that “night studies” is on the cusp of coming into its own as an interdisciplinary field, and that when it does, the field will consider questions that disciplinary researchers have not yet thought to ask.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher C.M. Kyba & Sara B. Pritchard & A. Roger Ekirch & Adam Eldridge & Andreas Jechow & Christine Preiser & Dieter Kunz & Dietrich Henckel & Franz Hölker & John Barentine & Jørgen Berge & Josia, 2020. "Night Matters—Why the Interdisciplinary Field of “Night Studies” Is Needed," J, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-6, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jjopen:v:3:y:2020:i:1:p:1-6:d:307138
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Till Roenneberg, 2013. "The human sleep project," Nature, Nature, vol. 498(7455), pages 427-428, June.
    2. Michele Acuto, 2019. "We need a science of the night," Nature, Nature, vol. 576(7787), pages 339-339, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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