Explaining Culture – Dan Sperber – 1996
Exploring the Foundations of Cultural Transmission
Dan Sperber’s Explaining Culture examines the cognitive processes underlying the spread and stability of cultural beliefs and practices. The book challenges traditional anthropological views of culture as a self-contained, coherent system, and proposes instead that cultural elements – ideas, skills, values – are transmitted through a process akin to ‘rumor’ or ‘epidemiological’ spread. Sperber argues that not all information is equally likely to be remembered and passed on; successful cultural transmission depends on the compatibility of the information with existing cognitive structures and the attentional biases of individuals.
Historical / Cultural Context
Published in 1996, Explaining Culture emerged as a significant contribution to the cognitive revolution in anthropology. It represented a departure from earlier structuralist and symbolic approaches that emphasized the inherent meaning within cultural systems, towards a more psychologically grounded understanding of how culture actually works. Sperber’s work responded to critiques of earlier attempts to apply evolutionary principles to culture, offering a refined model based on principles of relevance and cognitive ecology. This was a period when anthropology was increasingly engaging with psychology and evolutionary biology to refine its theories about human behaviour. It builds on the work of philosophers like David Hume and Paul Grice, applying their insights about belief and communication to the broader context of cultural life.
Who This Book Is For
This book is primarily aimed at students and scholars in anthropology, psychology, cognitive science, and related disciplines. However, its accessible writing style and compelling arguments also make it of interest to anyone curious about the underlying mechanisms of cultural transmission and the formation of shared beliefs. The book provides a theoretical framework for understanding how cultural practices evolve, endure, and sometimes change and doesn’t require extensive prior knowledge of anthropology.
Further Reading
- Pascal Boyer, Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought (2001): Boyer’s work, like Sperber’s, applies cognitive principles to understand the persistence of religious beliefs.
- Scott Atran, In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion (2002): Atran examines the cognitive and emotional foundations of religious commitment, complementing Sperber’s focus on transmission.
- Joseph Henrich, The Secret of the Success: How Culture Made Us Human (2016): Henrich offers a broader exploration of the role of culture in human evolution, building on the cognitive foundations laid by Sperber.
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