An Anthropology of Learning: On Nested Frictions in Cultural Ecologies

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Book Description

An explicit goal of this book, titled An Anthropology of Learning: On Nested Frictions in Cultural Ecologies (PDF), is to present a new theory of cultural learning in organizations. This new theory combines practice-based learning with cultural models – a cognitive anthropological schema theory of taken-for-granted connections – and ties it to the everyday meaningful use of artifacts. The book can be downloaded here. It is beneficial for practitioners, researchers, and students interested in dynamic studies of culture and cultural studies of organizations to gain a fresh understanding of culture as evolving from a process of learning since this knowledge opens the door to new understandings. This new approach moves beyond the concept of culture as a fixed and essentialist entity, and instead opens the door for us to learn in organizations that span different national cultures, different ethnicities, and seemingly insurmountable differences in local educational systems. These factors combine to make it difficult for people to communicate and collaborate effectively while working together in an increasingly globalized world. The empirical examples are collected almost exclusively from institutions of education and scientific research, which serve as cultural crossroads and are melting pots.