Agents as Cultural Motivators

Conference Paper

Agents as Cultural Motivators

Jordan J. Ardanaz

Abstract

In this presentation, I shall discuss the concept of agents, in groups or as individuals, as motivators for cultural change. I shall propose an ideological scheme that is fit for understanding the cultural influence that an agent may have expressed in the archaeological record. I will infer that by understanding the agent within the context of a macro-system, yet simultaneously being subject to unique microcosmic biases, he or she may have been able to express and diffuse non-discursive information into a social system that may have influenced its cultural representations. Furthermore, I will explore the need for a methodological approach, involving a stylistic and spatial analysis of cultural materials, from which we may attempt to understand the extent of an agent's diffused biases.