Abstract

Starting from the conviction that the study of culture(s) is much broader than a philosophizing history of ideas approach (one that often retains implicit Eurocentric assumptions), this article is a plea for a reorientation of the study of culture through the demonstration of a stronger commitment to a sociological, empirical and transcultural approach in the study of culture. Instead of focusing on cultural syntheses (i.e. along the main signatures and „Zeitgeist“ symptoms of epochs), my argumentredirects attention to particularities, hidden dimensions, and the formation of differences, to cultural countermovements and contradictions. The article suggests a more complex and action-oriented „translational“ approach. It aims to foster a critical self-reflection of the research process of the study of culture itself with regard to its analytical concepts, its societal and ethical concerns, and its fruitful convergence of disciplines.