Cultural evolution. From sociological traditions to new theoretical perspectives

This essay proposes a theoretical framework useful for the redefinition of the boundaries of analysis of the sociology of culture, and specifically in the evolution of cultural systems in relation to changes and readjustments of the social order. This idea, in these terms, is certainly nothing new, but, in this case, the element of innovation will be defined from a perspective that interprets the concept of adaptive cumulatively not only as the definition of a changing “grammar” which manages to respond on a very short timescale in evolutionary terms, under changing new socio-ecological pressures. It also utilises a model which is the result of a strong synergy between highly diverse scientific traditions. This last point could provide an important explanatory scaffolding.