A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Naomi Quinn (Author) "Once upon a time we anthropologists believed in the concept of culture..." (more)
Key Phrases: marital lastingness, intrapersonal culture, processing modelers, United States, Claudia Strauss, Naomi Quinn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Strauss and Quinn's impressive book sets out a theory of culture that is both highly plausible and easily accessible to linguists. This is due in large part to the fact htat its approach is consistently synthetic, both in that it seeks to find common ground among different anthropological approaches to the much contested concept of culture, and in that the authors hope to build bridges between anthropology and other disciplines concerned with human thought and behavior...it constitutes a fascinating variant in the recent explosion of interdisciplinary research on the mind and brain. Linguists (and anyone else) with a broad interest in culture, cognition, or meaning will find the book well worth reading...the book is clearly written, well argued, and solidly supported by often fascinating micro-analyses of American culture." Anthropolological Linguistics

Product Description

"Culture" and "meaning" are central to anthropology, but anthropologists do not agree on what they are. Claudia Strauss and Naomi Quinn propose a new theory of cultural meaning, one that gives priority to the way people's experiences are internalized. Drawing on "connectionist" or "neural network" models as well as other psychological theories, they argue that cultural meanings are not fixed or limited to static groups, but neither are they constantly revised or contested. Their approach is illustrated by original research on understandings of marriage and ideas of success in the United States.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052159541X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521595414
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,261 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for psychologists, sociologists, anthropoligists., July 5, 2001

By	Nowhereman "mediaddict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

If youre a casual reader of cultural science, this book might come across as very dense and slow-reading. But if you are already familiar with basic cultural and evolutionary psychology theory, you could find this an interesting read. The book begins by outlining connectivist (spreading activation) models of neurology, and tries to apply them to cultural schemas. The chapters are divided between "case-study" chapters that use a particular event or set of interviews to examine one particular schema style in detail, and more theory minded chapters. The case-study chapters were more interesting and illuminating in my opinion. This book would do well if paired with the "Selfways" research paper by Kitayama and Markus, or paired with a book like 'The Moral Animal' which offers a totally different biological basis for cultural drives in psychology.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivers what it promises, October 21, 2007

By	Adam Jacobs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well, if you're looking for a cognitive theory of cultural meaning, then look no further! Strauss and Quinn take a "connectionist" approach to the development and transmission of cultural meaning. It is quite clear and relatively easy to read, compared with other works we have been reading in my Seminar in Contemporary Theory in Anthropology.