Boundary Object

“Boundary object” (BO) is a concept that has been widely applied to classifications and other forms of representation in knowledge organization (KO) since 1988. Its point of departure is that different groups of actors have different interests and perspectives. To facilitate intergroup cooperation under such conditions, the concept of the BO was proposed as a means of coordinating actions and beliefs. Although a representation (e.g., a map) facilitates some interests and purposes at the expense of others a BO (which may also take the form of a map) does not require a single, universally accepted interpretation. At the same time, it is plastic enough to represent different perspectives and robust enough to serve as a productive shared representation for the groups involved. The literature has, however, identified important problems concerning BOs, including ambiguities in the concept itself and the recognition that BOs cannot be neutral representations, but necessarily embody particular selections and standpoints. These theoretical issues are presented and discussed, and it is concluded that the foundation of any representation must ultimately rest on an analysis of consequences, as later demonstrated in the book Sorting Things Out, and on a choice among paradigms or conceptual schemes, as suggested by the domain-analytic approach in information science. If this is neglected, the BO either becomes a trivial concept used retrospectively as a descriptive label or risks imposing undesirable ideological views on the actors involved.