Aarhus University

Post-Doc, Center for Semiotics, Department of Aesthetics and Communication

Other Affiliations: Aarhus University Hospital, MindLab, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience

About

My research investigates the role of language within a distributed conception of cognition. The leading hypothesis is that:

    Human cognitive processes are (at least partially) shaped by social and intersubjective habits that rely widely on bodily and environmental regularities, other agencies and socio-cultural norms, thus not being located solely in the individual brain or even in the individual body.
    Language is grounded on and motivated by these habits, that is, language is embodied, situated and distributed.
    But at the same time language widens the social and intersubjective horizon of cognition and therefore reshapes situatedness and embodiment of cognitive processes.

In particular I focus on the intersubjective and social dimensions of language use, that is, on the emergence, alignment and negotiation of symbolic patterns and on their role in cognitive performance and coordination.  A few questions arise from such an enterprise: How are language structures employed in social coordination and joint problem solving? How are they shaped by local use and practices? Which consequences does this have for cognitive performances? But especially: How to investigate these issues? Which methodologies are most fit to investigate different time scales of linguistically mediated cognitive dynamics?

My work up to now has thus encompassed conceptual investigations of cognitive and distributed approaches to language (Fusaroli, Granelli and Paolucci 2011), the attempt to combine American pragmatism to the “language as a tool for interacting minds” hypothesis (Fusaroli 2011), the analysis of the evolution of linguistic and conceptual metaphors, and more recently experimental approaches to linguistic coordination in joint problem solving settings (Tylén, Fusaroli, Østergaard and Bundgaard accepted, Fusaroli and Tylén accepted, Fusaroli et al accepted).

The framework developed has also been applied to new media, edutainment and computer games (Ferri and Fusaroli 2009), political discourse (Fusaroli and Ferri 2009) and narratology (Fusaroli 2009a and 2009b).

Selected Publications

Fusaroli, R., Gangopadhyay, N. & Tylén, K. (submitted), The dialogically extended mind: language as skilful intersubjective engagement

Fusaroli, R., Bahrami, B., Olsen, K., Frith, C. D., Roepstorff, A., & Tylén, K. (accepted). Coming to terms: quantifying the benefits of linguistic coordination, Psychological Science.

Fusaroli, R. & Tylén, K. (accepted) Carving language as social coordination, Interaction Studies

Tylén, R., Fusaroli, R., Østergaard, S. and Bundgaard, P. (accepted) A dynamical account of linguistic meaning making, Semiotica.

Fusaroli, R. & Granelli, T. & Paolucci, C. (Eds) (2011) The External Mind, Thematic Issue, Versus 112-113.

Fusaroli, R. (2011) The social horizon of embodied language and material symbols, in Versus 112-113.

Fusaroli, R. & Paolucci, C. (2011), The external mind: an introduction, in Versus 112-113.

Fusaroli, R. (2009a) "Narrative Schemas, Unnatural", in The Dictionary of Unnatural Narratology.

Fusaroli, R. (2009b) "Metaphors, Unnatural", in The Dictionary of Unnatural Narratology.

Fusaroli, R. & Ferri, G. (2009) "Which narrations for persuasive technologies? Habits and procedures in Ayiti: The Cost of Life", Intelligent Narrative Technologies II, Stanford Publications.

Fusaroli, R. & Ferri, G. (2009) "L'arco e i trecento. Strategie semantiche di comunicazione politica nel Partito Democratico", Versus 108. (The Arc and the Three Hundreds: politics, democracy and competition in the semantic space of Partito Democratico)

Fusaroli, R. & Vandi, C. (2009)  "More than a metaphor", in Studies in Language and Cognition, J. Zlatev, M. Andrén, M. Johansson Falck, C. Lundmark (a cura di). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Fusaroli, R. (2009) “The screen and the voice: understanding and misunderstanding in different fruitions of www.europa.eu”, Acta Semiotica Fennica.

Fusaroli, R. & Vang, J. (Eds) (2008) Semiotics as a Cognitive Science, thematic issue, Cognitive Semiotics 3.

Fusaroli, R. (2008) "Quale continuità per una semantica cognitiva? Un approccio pragmati(ci)sta e dinamico al senso", Atti Codisco 2008. (Which continuity for a cognitive semantics? A pragmati(ci)st and dynamic approach to meaning)

Fusaroli, R. (2008) "L'informazione e il dialogo. Progettare e gestire un sito di informazione europea come processo di coinvolgimento degli attori sociali", in L'Informatore Europeo, C. Lenarduzzi, A. Taroni (a cura di), Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence. (Information and dialog. Planning and managing a European information website as a process to involve social actors).

Fusaroli, R. (2008) Review of Paolucci (ed) Studi di Semiotica Interpretativa, Versus 103-104-105.

Fusaroli, R. (2008) Recensione di Paolucci (a cura di) Studi di Semiotica Interpretativa, Chora.

Fusaroli, R. & Dufresne, P. (2007) “Sociale vaerdier og semiotiske strukturer: en diagrammatiske analyse af Matador”, Semikolon n° 15, Aarhus. (“Social values and semiotic structures: a diagrammatic analysis of Matador”).

Fusaroli, R. (2007) “Tutela del risparmio e informazione: alcune considerazioni sulle strategie comunicative della Consob”, Annali del Collegio Superiore, Bologna. (“Investor education and information: some considerations on the communicative strategies of Consob”).

Fusaroli, R. (2007) “Churchill: un leader carismatico. Una ricognizione tra storia, teoria sociologica e analisi semiotica”, Annali del Collegio Superiore, Bologna. (“Churchill: a charismatic leader. An exploration through history, sociology and semiotic analysis”).

Fusaroli, R. & Orquin, J. (2006) “En pragmatisk sammenligning af strukturalistisk og kognitiv semiotik”, Semikolon n° 12, Aarhus. (A Pragmatic Comparison of Structuralistic and Cognitive Semiotics).

Fusaroli, R. (2005) “Sguardo, voce, corpo: un'analisi semiotica di uno spot Playstation 2”, Ocula n° 7, Bologna. (Gaze, Voice, Body: a Semiotic Analysis of a Playstation 2 Commercial).

Theses

Perceiving sense. Semantic perception, perceptual practices and Peircean diagrams.
Master of Arts in Semiotics (Bologna University) - Chair of Interpretative Semiotics
Grade: 110/110 con lode.

Semiotic explorations of accessibility issues in websites: the case of www.europa.eu.int
Bachelor of Arts in Communication - Chair of New Media Semiotics.
Grade: 110/110 con lode.

Previous Work Experiences

Before my Ph.D I consulted for and participated to didactic, communication and research projects for the Universities of Bologna (Forlì and Buenos Aires detachments), Trento and Aarhus. I also worked as a free-lance consultant both with Studio Semioticamente and independently.

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