Steven Carlisle
Steven Carlisle, Ph.D.
Lecturer
scarlisl@csusm.edu
SBSB 2223
Steven Carlisle holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from UC San Diego, and specializes in the anthropology of religion, psychological anthropology, and the study of narratives. He does his field work in Bangkok, Thailand, where researches a variety of topics including Buddhism, family life, and morality. His interest in the nature of religion lead to his heading up a group of scholars who produced a special issue of the Journal for the Society for Psychological Anthropology (Ethos) that broke new ground in the exploration of the relationship between emotion, reason, social life, and belief systems. Carlisle's own contribution to the collection explores the development of belief systems, and explains why beliefs that are irreconcilable are not necessarily irrational or stupid. Most recently, he has explored the importance of empathy in enculturation.