An Investigation of cultural complexity via memetics: Methodological rationale and its operationalisation

After introducing the background and motivation for my work a portion of my PhD research is presented which considers issues related to the nature of my literature review and the subsequent decisions I have made in respect of an appropriate methodology for empirical work. Literature related to a neo-Darwinian view of human culture is discussed and a number of difficulties related to an absence of consensus amongst theorists are highlighted. The neo-Darwinian perspective demands a replicator in culture which is analogous to the gene in biology and the candidate for that replicator has become know as the meme. The abduction of a narrative orientated methodology for searching for such a replicator is explained and its application demonstrated through an example of coded data. The analysis is based on a structural narrative approach and in particular on the notion of narrative programmes which interact and perhaps compete in social environments. Following concluding remarks the next steps of my PhD work are described. KEY WORDS: Meme, Memetics, Narrative, Complexity