Have you ever read The Trouble with Physics (Lee Smolin)? It's really two books in one. Most of the book is a great discussion about the current state of theoretical physics (TP). He discusses the dominance of string theory and the near-exclusion of other approaches in TP. He argues that progress in TP is being retarded by an unwillingness to allow different approaches.
The last 4-5 chapters are all about sociology and how it contributes to the problems described in the first part of the book. He also touches on the fact that these problems plague many other fields.
I have heard about it and would agree with it.
Many fields are being "socialized," ie subordinated to norms based on social objectives rather than purely objective criteria. In Physics much of the problem is due to the single-payer nature of funding. Once a particular fad captures the funding process, its very hard to break.
Another example is the requirement in most humanities programs to cite "Social Justice" in ones' work. I know an Ivy League professor in Literature who sends me some interesting emails she gets from others in her field. The lockstep conformity is very oppressive.
Fortunately, the internet is breaking up the monopoly on publishing information and gathering of like minds. The funding issue is a big one, still. But the open nature of publishing of data allows for enterprising minds to use the data in ways not intended.
