Article



Dados vol. 42 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 1999

The sociology of culture, social memory, and social creativity

Domingues, José Maurício

Abstract

Social memory and social creativity are the two processes by which social systems are reproduced and change without teleology. The collective dimension of social memory, which displays both ideal elements and material forms, should be underscored, without, however, disregarding the changeable, personalized ways individuals can deal with this memory. Social memory provides patterns for structuring social life in its hermeneutic-cognitive, material, and spatial-temporal dimensions. Social creativity is responsible for the innovations introduced in daily life and history. While creativity is to a large extent rooted in the fluid unconscious of individuals, it requires rational thought to achieve greater impact on social life. Immersed in indeterminate social interactions, social action is mediated by variably (de)centered collective subjectivities that have a specific property, that is, collective causality. Social creativity is thus developed at both levels, individual and collective.

Keywords: sociology of culture, creativity and memory, collective subjectivity

DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52581999000200004

Full text

The sociology of culture, social memory, and social creativity