Culture reexamined : broadening our understanding of social and evolutionary influences

This edited volume is intended to broaden the psychology of culture in two ways. First, the chapters discuss an impressive array of cultural influences - not just country of origin, East-West, or collectivism-individualism - but professional and disciplinary cultures, historical changes in cultures, social class, frontier settlement and geographical regions, political cultures, religion, and gender. While this is not an exhaustive list of the kinds of culture that psychology should be interested in, it is an exciting and fruitful new direction for psychology. Second, this book advances several new theories about the origins and processes of cultural development, from biological evolution to the division of labour and other aspects of social class. Among the contributions to cultural psychology as a whole, individual chapters offer insights into: How to improve interdisciplinary collaboration in universities Why some groups are relatively disadvantaged in various academic and professional fields What methods are useful in studying temporal changes in cultures How to avoid perpetuating hegemonic styles of thinking; for example, assuming that upper class people only influence lower class people How regional differences in individualism-collectivism, well-being, honour and retribution, and personality persist over time Why cosmopolitan cities may productively be viewed as modern frontiers What cultural psychologists can learn from food Why some people favour suites of political views that seem incompatible How culture can be an expression of evolutionary processes This book will help students explore directions for their research and inspire generations of psychologists interested in culture.