Proposal for an “Anthropocene” Research Program, and its

relationship with the “Cultural Evolution” program

Emanuele Serrelli

University of Milano-Bicocca

CISEPS assembly, October 26, 2016

“Cultural Traits”: the current research program points backwards

http://dems.unimib.it/ricerca/centri-di-ricerca/ciseps-2/research/cultural-evolution/

Anthropocene as a good candidate to REPROPOSE the successful template of the project “The Diffusion of Cultural Traits” (2011-2016)

The idea

1. A “hot topic” in the scientific literature (debated, criticized, defended…)2. A topic that, once reinterpreted, can become a key to interdisciplinarity3. A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be

recognized across disciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection4. Strong engagement of UNIMIB colleagues: a lot of scouting and

diplomatic work5. Concrete job: a series of 10-15 seminars within the regular series of

CISEPS, to become chapters or articles in the final publication; a fewevents that mix art and culture, and that can be open to colleagues and to the general public (preferably with institutional collaborations)

6. Intense network communication: mailing lists7. A concrete outcome: a high-level edited publication (book or special

issue)

The template

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

A “hot topic” in the scientific literature (debated, criticized, defended…)

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

A topic that, once reinterpreted, can becomea key to interdisciplinarity

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be recognized acrossdisciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection

Some assumptions: “...by cultural trait we can provisionally

intend any trait whose production in individuals depends to some extent on social learning”

“...we do not think to cultural trait diffusion as an exhaustive theory of culture and cultural change”

thinking in terms of cultural traits can trigger discourses in different disciplines and communication, highlighting common issues and valuing diversity

“...evolutionary models can be regarded as useful in that they offer manipulableprospective histories, which can in turn be employed as guidelines for restrospectivereconstructions in other fields”

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

Strong engagement of UNIMIB colleagues: a lot of scouting and diplomaticwork

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

Concrete job: a series of 10-15 seminars within the regular series of CISEPS, to becomechapters or articles in the finalpublication; a few events thatmix art and culture, and thatcan be open to colleagues and to the general public (preferably with institutionalcollaborations)

Storia del jazz: una prospettiva globale (12/3/2012) Travelling models of water: Battlefields of knowledge and ideas of change in the Middle East

(12/4/2012) Cultural evolution models and the extended synthesis. Symbiogenesis and punctuated equilibria

theory in the study of cultural transmission (10/5/2012) Cultures and cultural traits in archaeology (27/9/2012) The unary trait. Identification and transmission in psychoanalisis (canceled) The unexpected migration of Transparent Man from Germany to the U.S. in 1930s and 40s

(8/11/2012) Iuxta propria principia: pains and miseries of an expression (22/11/2012) Methodological workshop: linguistics, economics, biology (13/12/2012) The biological function of literature? Some evolutionary considerations about its origin and diffusion

(31/1/2013) Evolutionary origin of the aesthetic (canceled) The political boundary as place of meeting and diffusion of cultural traits in a region (14/3/2013) Cultural traits in organizations: multi-scale dynamics of reproduction and change (canceled) Origin and diffusion of a symbolic form: perspective (canceled)

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

Intense network communication: mailing lists

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

A concrete outcome: a high-level edited publication(book or special issue)

Table of contents

1 Cultural Traits and Multidisciplinary DialogueFabrizio Panebianco and Emanuele Serrelli

2 Understanding Cultural Diversity. Culture, Cultural Traits and Cultural Changes Between Global and Local ScalesVincenzo Matera

3 Cultural Traits and IdentityUgo E.M. Fabietti

4 The Diffusion of a Museum Exhibit: The Case of the Transparent ManElena Canadelli

5 The ‘Incompetent Subject’ in the Kingdom of Technical Terms. A Possible Role of Pedagogy in the Study of Cultural TraitsRossana Brambilla

6 The Unary Trait of Psychoanalysis. Identification, Transmission, GenerationMatteo Bonazzi

7 Cultural Diversities Across and Within Cultures: The Bicultural MindOlivia Realdon and Valentino Zurloni

8 Birth and Evolution of Jazz as Effects of Cultural TransfersStefano Zenni

9 Geographical Boundaries as Places of Meeting and Diffusion of Cultural TraitsStefano Malatesta, Marcella Schmidt di Friedberg,and Enrico Squarcina

10 Maps, Diagrams and Charts: Making the Cultural Trait Visible Fulvio Carmagnola

11 Evolutionary Genetics and Cultural Traits in a ‘Body of Theory’ PerspectiveEmanuele Serrelli

12 Cultural Traits in Economic TheoryFabrizio Panebianco

13 International Cooperation and Cultural TransmissionIsa Gama

14 Rethinking Organizational Culture: The Role of Generational SubculturesAlessandra Lazazzara

15 From Material Remains to Culture: The Possibilitiesand Limits of Archaeology in Reconstructing Ancient PeopleViviana Ardesia

16 Homology and Phylogenetic Inference in Biological and Material Cultural EvolutionIlya Tëmkin

17 On the Origin of Technologies: The Invention and Evolution of the Bow-and-ArrowGiuseppe Carignani

18 Trees, Languages and Genes: A Historical PathFederica Da Milano and Nicoletta Puddu

19 Signaling in Style: On Cooperation, Identity and the Origins of Visual ArtLarissa Mendoza-Straffon

20 Aesthetic Preferences: An Evolutionary ApproachMariagrazia Portera and Lorenzo Bartalesi

21 Nothing But Survival: On the Origin and Function of LiteratureMario Barenghi

22 Concluding Remarks – Removing Barriers in Scientific Research: Concepts, Synthesis and CatalysisEmanuele Serrelli

“The Diffusion of Cultural Traits”

A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be recognizedacross disciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection The Anthropocene defines Earth's most recent geologic time period as being

human-influenced, or anthropogenic, based on overwhelming global evidence that atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric and other earth system processes are now altered by humans.

The word combines the root "anthropo", meaning "human" with the root "-cene", the standard suffix for "epoch" in geologic time.

The Anthropocene is distinguished as a new period either after or within the Holocene, the current epoch, which began approximately 10,000 years ago (about 8000 BC) with the end of the last glacial period.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Earth, cit. in www.anthropocene.info

“Anthropocene”

“Anthropocene”

A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be recognized acrossdisciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection

A geological epoch?

“Anthropocene”

A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be recognized acrossdisciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection

A great acceleration?

“Anthropocene”

A specific but non-constraining definition of the topic: it can be recognized acrossdisciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection

A great acceleration?

“Anthropocene”

A specific but non-constrainingdefinition of the topic: it can be recognized acrossdisciplines, but it is open to revision and even rejection

An exponential growth of interconnection and complexity?

“Anthropocene”

A “hot topic”

- In the scientific literature

- In innovative partnerships art-science, media-science, university-museums, teaching methods… Example: THE ANTHROPOCENE PROJECT

Specialized scientific journalsThe Anthropocene Review, Anthropocene etc.

In the newsThe Economist

ControversialNature: how to define the Anthropocene

On the webwww.anthropocene.info

The AnthropoceneProject, Berlinhttp://hkw.de/en/programm/projekte/2014/anthropozaen/anthropozaen_2013_2014.php

The AnthropoceneProjectHKW, Haus der Kulturen der Welt

http://hkw.de/en/programm/projekte/2014/anthropozaen/anthropozaen_2013_2014.php

The AnthropoceneProjectHKW, Haus der Kulturen der Welt

http://hkw.de/en/programm/projekte/2014/anthropozaen/anthropozaen_2013_2014.php

The AnthropoceneCampusWinter 2014 and Spring 2016

HKW, Haus der Kulturen de Welt

http://www.anthropocene-curriculum.org/

The AnthropoceneCampusWinter 2014 and Spring 2016

HKW, Haus der Kulturen de Welt

http://www.anthropocene-curriculum.org/

The world of Museums (international) and many more eventshttps://www.facebook.com/Anthropocene-Milan-156028064816104/

e.g., ICOM 2016 Milan: "Museums in the Anthropocene. Toward the history of humankind within biosphere and technosphere” and other sessions; Smithsonian; Boston; Society for Phenomenology and Media…

2016 by the end of the year: webpage with updated abstract and schedule of the first activities

January 2017: inaugural lecture on Anthropocene Project, with Elena Bougleux and a leader from Berlin

Feb-May 2017: seminars Sep-Dec 2017: seminars, field trip, another public event Jan-March 2018: seminars and publication proposal May 2018: finalization of publication proposal, start of

editorial process 2018 by the end of the year: publication and final event

Tentative schedule