Anthropology and cognitive science in dialogue

Even though anthropology had been one of the pioneers in the foundation of cognitive science, over the last decades a growing alienation between the two disciplines has been undeniable. In their introduction to this special issue of Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie, Andrea Bender and Birgitt Rottger-Rossler argue that this relation should be reconsidered. Anthropology and cognitive science can contribute to each other's research through an emphasis on the interdependency of cultural patterns and human cognition. Scientific collaboration between members of the two fields could not only help explaining gaps in the respective theoretical frameworks but also open up new perspectives for future research.