Alan Fiske, PhD

My interests are focused on the theoretical integration of cultural, social, psychological, developmental, evolutionary, and neurological processes involved in human sociality. I am interested in the evolution of the human capacities for culture-specific forms of social relations. I work on basic problems in social theory. I also study ritual, food and sex taboos, responses to misfortune, personality disorders and OCD. Geographically, my principal expertise is in Africa, especially Burkina Faso, where I did fieldwork among the Moose.

Current research: I am studying the constitutive modalities, cognition and semiotics of sociality: the mechanisms with which people construct and conduct their social relationships. I am writing also a book on food & sex taboos. I am also collaborating on studies of the social functioning of schizophrenics.

Websites:
http://www.anthro.ucla.edu/faculty.php?lid=764&display_one=1
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/fiske/