A Companion to Cognitive Anthropology offers a comprehensive overview of the development of cognitive anthropology from its inception to the present day and presents recent findings in the areas of theory, methodology, and field research in twenty-nine key essays by leading scholars. Demonstrates the importance of cognitive anthropology as an early constituent of the cognitive sciences Examines how culturally shared and complex cognitive systems work, how they are structured, how they differ from one culture to another, how they are learned and passed on Explains how cultural (or collective) vs. individual knowledge distinguishes cognitive anthropology from cognitive psychology Examines recent theories and methods for studying cognition in real-world scenarios Contains twenty-nine key essays by leading names in the field
This edited collection presents an agenda for the interdisciplinary study of anthropology and cognitive science. It consists of fifteen chapters written by international experts on the relationship between culture and cognition. This volume is unique in that it includes both inside (i.e., shared mental templates) and outside (i.e., extended, embedded, enactive and ecological) theories of cognition. The contributors come from the diverse disciplinary fields of anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, and cognitive science. The aim is to investigate the mental production of shared knowledge, goals, and desires around which human social life revolves. The coverage spans cultural and linguistic evolution, the importance of local histories, and the role of cultural models to understand and interact with the world.
Drawing on cultural model theory, this volume is an invaluable resource for linguists, cognitive scientists, anthropologists, and other social scientists willing to explore and understand how the sharedness of culture can bond us all together across relative cultural differences and (mis)perceived divisions.
