Advances in Network Clustering and Blockmodeling

14Conclusions and Directions for Future Work

Patrick Doreian^3,4, Anuška Ferligoj^3,5, and Vladimir Batagelj^1,2,5

¹IMFM Ljubljana

²IAM, University of Primorska, Koper

³FDV, University of Ljubljana

⁴University of Pittsburgh

⁵NRU HSE, Moscow

As noted in the opening chapter, our aim in designing this book was to have a sustained examination of the general topic of network clustering. A clustering is a general term that means a set of clusters. Clustering also refers to a process for establishing a clustering. There are several types of clusterings, including a partition (a set of clusters that do not overlap and cover the whole set of units), a hierarchy (usually represented by a dendrogram), a pyramid, a fuzzy clustering, a clustering with overlapping clusters, and a clustering with disjoint clusters not covering the whole set of units. We use the more general term, clustering, throughout our discussion of the contributions contained in the book's chapters. However, when contributing authors use the terms partition and partitions, we use these terms.

Another goal for us was to make sure we included multiple perspectives and approaches to the problem of network clustering. As the foregoing chapters show, this topic is a highly diverse realm, both technically and substantively. We have much to learn from each other on both the technical and substantive fronts, at least when freed from the restrictions imposed by academic departments, fields, sub-fields, and different specific approaches. ...