Key research themes
1. How do theoretical frameworks explain the mechanisms and trajectories of social and cultural change?
This research area focuses on conceptualizing and theorizing social and cultural change through various schools of thought including modernization, dependency, world-systems, evolutionary theories, and philosophical analyses of history. It seeks to identify mechanisms underpinning social change, how changes propagate through social structures, and to develop scientific and rational explanations for social and cultural transformation over time.
2. What are the psychological and cultural transmission processes that govern the formation, maintenance, and transformation of culture over time?
This theme investigates cultural dynamics from a psychological standpoint, focusing on how cultural information is introduced, transmitted, and prevalently altered within populations. It explores micro-to-macro level mechanisms involved in cultural evolution, including innovation, social learning pathways, and selection processes, emphasizing the interplay of individual cognition and population-level cultural phenomena.
3. How do social movements, technological innovations, and artistic expressions contribute to social and socio-ecological transformation?
This area examines the role of collective social action, material-technical change, and artistic practices as active agents and mediums facilitating social change. It explores how social movements mobilize marginalized groups for development, how technology reorganizes social relations and values through novel infrastructures, and how art functions as an intervention tool aiding socioecological awareness and political imagination.