Four possible reasons for lack of attention

1. Lack of visibility

The work may simply not have reached the relevant scholars.

Example: a valuable book published by a small regional press.

2. Disciplinary isolation

A historian may not read sociology journals.

A sociologist may develop an excellent theory of institutions that historians rarely encounter.

3. Language barriers

Important scholarship may exist in German, French, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, etc., but remain relatively unknown outside that linguistic community.

4. Intellectual fashion

A field may concentrate on particular questions and neglect others.

These explanations are not mutually exclusive.