Naomi Quinn

Claudia Strauss

'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 and contested. Their approach is illustrated by original research on understandings of marriage and ideas of success in the United States.

A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning

Daniel Fessler

Barbara Diane Miller

This edited collection attempts to revive a unified anthropological approach to the study of sex and gender hierarchies. Seventeen distinguished contributors - from cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology, and anthropological linguistics - have produced a wealth of fascinating data on human and primate, ancient and contemporary, and 'primitive' and developed societies, covering topics such as mothering and child care, work, health, intrafamily relationships, and public power. The interdisciplinary approach successfully contributes to the development of better theory and methodology in anthropology.

Sex and Gender Hierarchies

Jeannette Marie Mageo

This book, first published in 2002, analyses the ways in which power is experienced by individuals as agents and objects.

Power and the Self

Carmella C. Moore

Holly F. Mathews

This volume, first published in 2001, presents research in psychological anthropology, including person-centred ethnography, activity theory, and cultural schema theory.

The Psychology of Cultural Experience

This edited volume provides a long-overdue synthesis of the current directions in culture theory and represents some of the very best in ongoing research. Here, culture theory is rendered as a jigsaw puzzle: the book identifies where current research fits together, the as yet missing pieces, and the straight edges that frame the bigger picture. These framing ideas are two: Roy D’Andrade’s concept of lifeworlds—adapted from phenomenology yet groundbreaking in its own right—and new thinking about internalization, a concept much used in anthropology but routinely left unpacked. At its heart, this book is an incisive, insightful collection of contributions which will surely guide and support those who seek to further the study of culture.

Advances in Culture Theory from Psychological Anthropology

Dorothy Holland

A multidisciplinary collaboration exploring the role of cultural knowledge in everyday language and understanding.

Naomi Quinn

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