Charting a middle course: theory and methods in the practice of cross-cultural research

Recent years have seen a resurgence in work arguing for the importance of cross-cultural research. Yet, there are few guides and worked examples of how theory in cognitive science and anthropology can actually be instantiated in a productive research program. This chapter collects contributions on this topic, with several background essays on the practice of crosscultural research and six concrete examples of research programs. Across these contributions, the recurring theme is balancing the need for generating generalizable science with attention to local cultural contexts. Instead of converging on a single solution, these contributions provide a lay of the land, demonstrating the various ways in which researchers have found a pragmatic balance between the universal and the specific in studying our cultural species.