A big part of my collaboration with Ann Taves at UCSB focused on developing the “building block approach” to complex cultural concepts. We have both published on this over the past few years (see Taves 2015, Asprem 2015, Taves and Asprem 2016). This summer, we have launched an educational website called Building Blocks of Human Experience, which introduces the approach and discusses some of its most important concepts. As the site continues to develop, we will add links to research tools, sample applications, and research projects that are aligned with the approach.

The site is intended as a tool for students as well as researchers interested in deveoping socio-cognitive explanations of the varieties of human experience as it is mediated by complex cultural concepts and social formations. We also keep a comments section where you can leave any feedback, criticisms, or comments you might have about the approach or the website. Some discussion is already starting to take shape there, so feel free to have a look and join in. This will assist us in the work to further update and calibrate the site, and develop the approach itself.