Pascal BoyerView profile
Professor
Pascal Boyer is Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology and Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also holds the Henry Luce Professorship of Collective and Individual Memory. He is jointly affiliated with the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Psychology, reflecting his interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and cultural anthropology. PhD, Université de Paris-Nanterre Graduate work with Jack Goody, University of Cambridge Fieldwork in Cameroon on Fang oral epics and traditional religion Former teaching positions at Cambridge, San Diego, Lyon, and Santa Barbara Boyer’s research investigates the cognitive foundations of cultural transmission, particularly focusing on religion, memory, and the evolution of human social cognition. He proposes that religious ideas and cultural norms are shaped by universal properties of the human mind, making certain concepts more cognitively 'natural' and thus more easily transmitted across generations. His work integrates experimental psychology, developmental studies, and ethnographic research to explore how brains evolved to process cultural information. His publications span cognitive development, agency detection, autobiographical memory, and the neural underpinnings of cultural concepts. Notable books include The Naturalness of Religious Ideas (1994), Religion Explained (2001), and Memory in Mind and Culture (2009). His most recent work, Minds Make Societies (2018), synthesizes insights from evolutionary biology, psychology, and economics to model the formation of human societies. The body of his work shows a consistent trend toward interdisciplinary integration, using cognitive science to explain cultural universals. Henry Luce Professor of Collective and Individual Memory Editor of Memory in Mind and Culture (2009) Contributor to major cognitive science and anthropology journals Boyer has mentored numerous students and collaborators, though specific names are not listed in the provided texts. He has secured significant academic recognition through his publications and endowed professorship, indicating sustained research funding and academic leadership. He is actively involved in both experimental and theoretical research, leading projects on early cognitive development and mathematical reasoning. His lab combines cognitive psychology paradigms with anthropological field methods, fostering a unique interdisciplinary team. Boyer continues to publish and contribute to the advancement of cognitive anthropology as a rigorous scientific discipline.








