Recent years have seen a growing interest among sociologists to apply novel conceptual and analytical tools in the study of culture. The increased availability of new and diverse data sources and technological capacities allows researchers to explore longstanding sociological topics. These include the causes and consequences of cultural tastes and practices, structural changes in cultural fields, or the antecedents for cultural status orders. This conference aims to bring together researchers who develop, apply, or reflect upon computational approaches in the interdisciplinary study of culture. Presentations may cover the emergence, polarization, and transformation of social relationships in cultural fields—such as music, film, literature, sports, or science; the impact of cultural tastes and practices on social relationships and inequality; the role of culture in the construction of symbolic boundaries; or the assignment of meaning in the evaluation of cultural objects. The conferences equally welcomes methodological contributions that develop formal cultural analysis and critical reflections upon the use of formal modeling approaches in the study of culture. The format of the conference will include presentations by participants and two/three keynote talks. Participants will be able to continue conversations during lunch and dinner which will be provided by the organizers. We encourage scholars interested in the conference to send an abstract (max. 750 words) by the 1st of March 2025 to wittekm@ceu.edu
Organizational details
The workshop will place in-person at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities 8-9 May 2025. We will provide coffee, lunch and dinner on the 8th. If you are an early career researcher and lacka funding from your institution, please get in touch with us as we can subsidize your travels. There will be two keynotes and two days of presentations. The conference is hosted by Mark Wittek and Agnieszka Falenska.