Cultural Evolution Overview

This article provides an overview of the field of cultural evolution, in which cultural change is studied as a Darwinian evolutionary process. Although a fringe interest just 20 years ago, cultural evolution is now a major area of interdisciplinary study. This article outlines the key tenets of cultural evolution theory, describes the main methods used, and highlights outstanding debates and issues that are currently being investigated in the field.

International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition), 388-393