Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Sociology in the face of cognitive sciences; An interdisciplinary reflection

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Leila Ardebili

Asistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Science and Technology studies, Institute for Cultural, Social and Civilization Studies, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2025.5256.5000
Abstract
In today’s rapidly evolving academic landscape, the emergence of new sciences necessitates a reevaluation of classic theories and concepts through an interdisciplinary lens. One notable field making waves is cognitive science, which offers compelling theories and insights into the workings of the mind and cognitive processes. This has prompted scholars interested in the interplay between cognition and culture to critically assess the contributions of cognitive studies to our understanding of social and cultural phenomena. Among the disciplines affected are the social sciences, particularly sociology. Over the past few decades, sociologists have sought to revise their foundational concepts and theories in light of findings from cognitive science, especially those from cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists. This has led to the establishment of a new interdisciplinary field known as cognitive sociology. However, like any emerging discipline, cognitive sociology grapples with internal tensions stemming from differing perspectives. This article aims to explore the historical approaches and traditions within this nascent field using an analytical-descriptive method. It will demonstrate how adopting a balanced perspective between strong and weak interpretations of the relationship between culture and cognition can foster a productive and synergistic dialogue between sociology and cognitive sciences, ultimately enriching the field of cognitive sociology.

Keywords

cognitive sciences
cognitive sociology
culture and cognition
inter-discursive tension
Subjects
Alexander, J. C. (2003). The meanings of social life: a cultural sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ardabili, L. (2015). Dāramadi bar ensān-šenāsi-ye šenāxti, nazariyaha va mafāhim [An Introduction to Cognitive Anthropology: Theories and Concepts]. Tehran, Iran: Elmi va Farhangi.
Backhouse, R. E., & Fontaine, P. (2010). The history of the social sciences since 1945. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, Th. (1966). The social construction of reality: a treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Brekhus, W. H. & Ignatow, G. (2017). Cognitive sociology and the cultural mind: debates, directions, and challenges. In W. Brekhus & G. Ignatow (Eds.), the oxford handbook of cognitive sociology (pp.1-30). Oxford Handbooks.doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190273385.013.8
Brekhus, W. H. (2015). Culture and cognition: patterns in the social construction of reality. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Cerulo, K. A. (2010). Mining the intersections of cognitive sociology and neuroscience. Poetics, 38(2), 115–32. doi:10.1016/j.poetic.2009.11.005
Cerulo, K. A. (2014). Continuing the story: maximizing the intersections of cognitive science and sociology. Sociological Forum, 29(4), 1012–1019 doi.org/10.1111/socf.12135
Cerulo, K. A. (2017). Embodied cognition: sociology’s role in bridging mind, brain, and body. In. Brekhus, Wayne H., & Ignatow. G. (eds), the oxford handbook of cognitive sociology. Oxford Handbooks. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190273385.013.5
Cerulo, K. A., Leschziner, V., & Shepherd. H. (2021). Rethinking culture and cognition. Annual Review of Sociology, 47, 63-85. doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-072320-095202
Cicourel, A. (1973). Cognitive sociology: language and meaning in social interaction. New York: Free Press.
Clark, A. (1997). Being there: putting brain, body, and world together again. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Dabirmoghaddam, M. (2000). Zabānšenāsi-ye nazari: peydāyeš va takvin-e dastur-e zāyeši [Theoretical Linguistics: The Emergence and Development of Generative Grammar]. Tehran, Iran: SAMT.
Danna, K. (2014). The study of culture and cognition. Sociological Forum, 29(4). doi.org/10.1111/socf.12133.
Dewey, J. (1930). Human nature and conduct: an introduction to social psychology. New York: Modern Library.
DiMaggio, P. (1997). Culture and cognition. Annual Review of Sociology, 23(25), 263–87.  doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.23.1.263
DiMaggio, P. (2002). Why cognitive (and cultural) sociology needs cognitive psychology. In Curelo, Karen A. (ed), culture in mind: toward a sociology of culture and cognition. New York & London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203904701
Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself. New York: Viking press.
Durkheim, E. (1953). Sociology and philosophy. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
Durkheim, E. (1973). The dualism of human nature and its social conditions. In Bellah, Robert N. (ed), on morality and society: selected writings. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. doi:10.3167/175223005783472211
Durkheim, E. (1995). The elementary forms of religious life (Karen E.Fields, Trans). New York: Free Press.
Durkheim, E., & Mauss, M. (1963). Primitive classification. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
Eliasoph, N., & Lichterman, P. (2003). Culture in interaction. American Journal of Sociology, 108:735–94. doi:10.1086/367920
Farasatkhah, M. (2017). Zehn va hame čiz: tarhvāre-hāyi barāye zistan [Mind and Everything: Schemas for Living]. Tehran, Iran: Kargadan.
Fleck, L. (1979). Genesis and development of a scientific Fact. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Fotovvatian, A., Sadafi, M., & Kalantari, A. (2021). A new perspective on cognitive sociology; Zerubavel and the problem of cognition. Sociological Review, 28(1), 9-28. doi: 10.22059/jsr.2021.84475
Ganguly, K. & Poo, M. (2013). Activity-dependent neural plasticity from bench to bedside. Neuron, 80(3):729–41. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.028
Goffman, E. M. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Huttenlocher, P. R. (2002). Neural plasticity: the effects of environment on the development of the cerebral cortex. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press.
Ignatow, G. (2007). Theories of embodied knowledge: new directions for cultural and cognitive sociology?. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37(2),115–35. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5914.2007.00328.x
Lizardo, O. (2007). Mirror neurons’ collective objects and the problem of transmission: reconsidering stephen turner’s critique of practice theory. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 37,319–50. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5914.2007.00340.x
Lizardo, O. (2014). Beyond the comtean schema: the sociology of culture and cognition versus cognitive social science. Sociological Forum, 29(4),983–89. doi:10.1111/socf.12130
Lizardo, O. (2015). Culture, cognition and embodiment. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 5, 576–81. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.10442-8
Lizardo, O. (2017). Pierre Bourdieu as cognitive sociologist. In W. Brekhus & G. Ignatow (eds.), the oxford handbook of cognitive sociology (pp.65-80). Oxford Handbooks. doi:10.31235/osf.io/9fb6h
Mannheim, K. (1936). Ideology and utopia. London: Routledge.
Mauss, M. (1973). Techniques of the body. Economy and Society, 2, 70–88. doi:10.1080/03085147300000003
Simmel, G. (1964). Conflict and the web of group-affiliations. New York: Free Press.
Soroori Sarabi, A., Zamani, M., Ranjbar, S., Rahmatian, F. (2023). Innovation – But with Risk: The Strategic Role of IT in Business Risk Management. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 7 (2)
Strydom, P. (2007). A cartography of contemporary cognitive social theory. European Journal of Social Theory, 10(3), 339-356. doi:10.1177/1368431007080699
Swidler, A. (1986). Culture in action: symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review, 51(2), 273–86. doi.org/10.2307/2095521
Swidler, A. (2001). Talk of love: how culture matters. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tomraee, S., Toosi, R. & Arsalani A. (2024) Perspectives of Iranian Clinical Interns on the Future of AI in Healthcare. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 8(2)
Turner, S. (2007). Social theory as a cognitive neuroscience. European Journal of Social Theory, 10(3), 357–74. doi:10.1177/1368431007080700
Vaisey, S. (2009). Motivation and justification: a dual-process model of culture in action. American Journal of Sociology, 114(6),1675–1715. doi:10.1086/597179
Wacquant, L. (1998). The prizefighter’s three bodies. Ethnos, 63(3), 325–52. doi:10.1080/00141844.1998.9981579
Weber, M. (1920/1992). The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism (Talcott Parsons, trans.). London and New York: Routledge.
Zamani, M., Hosseini, S, H., & Rahmatian, F. (2024). The Role of Education in Successful Business Management. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 8(2).
Zerubavel, E. (1997). Social mindscapes: an invitation to cognitive sociology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Send comment about this article
Enter Name.
Enter a valid email address.
Enter a vaid affiliation.
Enter comments (At leaset 10 words)
CAPTCHA Image
Enter Security Code Correctly.

  • Receive Date 06 July 2024
  • Revise Date 23 October 2024
  • Accept Date 10 November 2024

Home

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Reviewers

Submission

Contact Us