Universalism without Uniformity: Explorations in Mind and Culture
Julia L. Cassaniti and Usha Menon
Abstract
One of the major questions in cultural psychology is how to take diversity seriously while also acknowledging our shared humanity. This collection addresses this question by engaging with the complex issues that underpin the interconnections between culture and the human mind. The contributors to Universalism without Uniformity make two fundamental claims: first, that as humans we are motivated to find meaning in everything around us; and, second, that the cultural worlds we live in are constituted by our involvement in them. Therefore, we exist as human beings specifically because we interpr ... More
One of the major questions in cultural psychology is how to take diversity seriously while also acknowledging our shared humanity. This collection addresses this question by engaging with the complex issues that underpin the interconnections between culture and the human mind. The contributors to Universalism without Uniformity make two fundamental claims: first, that as humans we are motivated to find meaning in everything around us; and, second, that the cultural worlds we live in are constituted by our involvement in them. Therefore, we exist as human beings specifically because we interpret and make sense of the events and experiences of our lives—and we do so using the meanings and resources we draw from the cultural worlds that we have created through our thoughts and actions. They argue that what is universal about humans are the abstract potentialities of the human mind—the ability to think and act, to feel and desire, to possess norms and values, to have purpose and goals, and to envision the social and natural worlds. At the same time, these very basic human traits are emergent, realizing their full potential only within the context of the symbolic and behavioral traditions of a community. They conclude that there are few, if any, “deep” or “hard-wired” mental structures, and certainly none that are immune to the surrounding sociocultural context, or that function apart from it. Offering empirically-driven research that takes psychological diversity seriously, Universalism without Uniformity breaks new ground in the interdisciplinary study of culture and mind.
Keywords:
psychology,
anthropology,
emotion,
culture,
mind,
affect,
development,
mental health,
cognition,
psychological anthropology
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2017 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226501543 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: May 2018 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226501710.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Julia L. Cassaniti, editor
Washington State University
Usha Menon, editor
Drexel University
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