Socio-cultural knowledge… Mechanisms of production

By Dr Al Khamis Mufid

 

This study is conducted within the framework of a conceptual theory of knowledge and we attempt to benefit from different fields of knowledge in order to study the mechanisms of the production of socio-cultural knowledge from all angles. I will draw on two important theories: the conceptual structure; and the standard social science model by Tooby and Cosmides. The first theory will help to deconstruct the components of the mind and the ways in which they interact while the second has ontological, cultural and epistemological aspects.

 

I will rely on the standard social science model suggested by Tooby and Cosmides because – according to this standard – culture is the basic element that defines human behaviour; culture is seen not as an individual’s creation but as a product of complex processes among the group.

 

I will also discuss linguistic knowledge and its relationship to social knowledge, focusing on the latter's priorities. I will study individuals in terms of social and physical fields and cognitive patterns. In the same context, I will discuss socio-conceptual relations through kinship, community membership and dominance.