FROM CULTURE TO CULTURAL: EXPLAINING THE TRANSFORMATION OF ACADEMIC DISCOURSES THROUGH HERDERIAN NOTIONS

AbstractThe adjective “cultural” cumulates all the complexity of today’s world. It has become a widely used qualifier in social and human sciences. The morphological transformation from adjective to noun motivates substantial research and conceptual developments. In this difficult conjuncture, historical epistemology creates the conditions for a true dialogue between cultural, sociolinguistic and scientific realities. Adjectivization can be seen as a direct consequence of relativization and personalization of culture. Largely attributed to Herder and Boas, the relativization process has exponentially increased and diversified the use of the concept of culture. The ongoing conceptual pluralization can be traced back to Herder. By creating the plural term “cultures”, Herder facilitated the gradual transformation of the noun into an adjective and brought to light its heterogeneous nature. The intense psychologization during twentieth and twenty-first centuries elevated the Herderian concept of culture to the status of a central instrument in the humanities and reinforced its pluralization through an increased focus on individual determinants.