Einfühlung: Tracing the Personalisation of the Herderian Concept of Culture in American Academia

Abstract In today’s world, the idea of culture has an inherent plural character. The conceptual pluralisation may occur at different levels. We witness a growing number of cultural manifestations through the complex dynamics between individuals and their multicultural communities. The post-modern human being interacts with cultural artefacts and philosophical notions in an increasingly personalised manner. Franz Boas and Johann Gottfried von Herder are two key figures in the pluralisation and personalisation of the concept of culture through the implicit ideas of Einfühlung. Conventionally associated with other philosophers, this complex notion can be traced back to Herder. The idea of “feeling into” creates powerful meanings out of numerous divergences articulated in the individuals and their interaction with the world. By using the historical epistemology approach, significant continuities emerge from anthropological and psychological narratives. German-American transfers involved a meaning metamorphosis in anthropology that expresses the human drive to personal significance and development. Despite being relatively unknown outside German--speaking circles, the concept of Einfühlung has continued to evolve and to change cultural representations in contemporary societies.