Theorizing Social Order from Belief Heterogeneity, Uncertainty, and Change

• In Event: 264 - Section on Sociology of Culture Paper Session. Can Cultural Sociology Be An Interscience?

Abstract

How do durable social structures arise out of individuals’ diverse and uncertain beliefs? By what process do cultures and individual beliefs change over time? Is a consensus on norms necessary to produce a cohesive social order? Building on influential arguments by Paul DiMaggio (1997) and Orlando Patterson (2014), this talk will advocate a transdisciplinary cultural sociology, and offer an empirical and theoretical account of social action based on cultural beliefs. Specifically, the talk will illustrate the generative potential of transdisciplinary work by introducing a new model that crosses disciplinary boundaries to unite social psychological theory with insights from cognitive science and computer science. The model applies Bayesian probability theory to account for the dynamic fluctuation of identity meanings during social interaction, explain how actors learn and adjust meanings through social experience, and show how stable interaction dynamics can emerge from individuals’ uncertain and noisy perceptions of their own identities and the identities of others.

Author

• Kimberly Brooke Rogers, Dartmouth College