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Department of Modern Languages Speaker Series
presents
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca
Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge
Human and animal cultures: Some similarities and differences
Monday, December 3, 2018
2 to 3 p.m. in AH 118
Depending on whether you are a biologist or a socio-cultural anthropologist, culture can be present in thousands of species or be restricted to humans, respectively. In this talk, I will adopt a definition of culture that allows for the comparison of the cultural capabilities of humans and other animals. If culture is defined as a group-specific behavioural practice, persistent in several group members, and dependent on social means for its transmission and maintenance, then culture is certainly not limited to humans. There is increasing evidence for cultural variations in a wide range of behavioural domains and across various animal taxa. However, some authors argue that “animal behavioural traditions” and “human cultures” should be distinguished and considered analogous rather than homologous on the basis of several major differences, including the content of what is transmitted, the social learning mechanisms that support them, the stability and durability of the phenomenon, and the cumulativity of the process.
Everyone is welcome!
Contact:
Dr. Alain Flaubert Takam | alain.takam@uleth.ca | 403-329-2561