commit d730c3806169da47362b46422750fa0ba44350b4 Author: Simon Carrignon Date: Fri Apr 3 13:08:09 2026 +0100 Initial commit: C2S 2026 keynote slides (IBM Plex, metropolis) diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8a1ba0a --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitignore @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +*.aux +*.log +*.out +*.toc +*.nav +*.snm +*.vrb +*.fls +*.fdb_latexmk +*.synctex.gz +*.pdf diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..241c23f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ +# Bridging Scales in Cultural Evolution + +**C2S 2026 — Computational Cultural Science Workshop** +École nationale des Chartes – PSL, Paris, 18–19 May 2026 + +## Abstract + +Computational approaches have provided powerful tools to better understand culture. By allowing us to mine large datasets and extract meaningful patterns even in the absence of established theory, methods such as machine learning, Bayesian inference, network analysis, and dimensionality reduction have proven transformative. Yet these approaches remain biased toward certain types of data and scales of analysis. We propose combining agent-based modelling with these computational methods to test hypotheses at the mesoscale: processes unfolding at the regional level over millennia. + +## Compile + +```bash +lualatex slides-c2s-2026.tex +``` + +Requires: IBM Plex fonts, metropolis beamer theme, LuaLaTeX. + +## Author + +Simon Carrignon — UCL GEE / CDAL / ENCOUNTER / UGI +s.carrignon@ucl.ac.uk diff --git a/slides-c2s-2026.tex b/slides-c2s-2026.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..07df60b --- /dev/null +++ b/slides-c2s-2026.tex @@ -0,0 +1,353 @@ +%% C2S 2026 Keynote — Simon Carrignon +%% Computational Cultural Science Workshop, Paris, 18--19 May 2026 +%% École nationale des Chartes -- PSL +%% Compile with: lualatex slides-c2s-2026.tex + +\documentclass[aspectratio=169,14pt]{beamer} + +%% ── Packages ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\usepackage{fontspec} +\usepackage{microtype} +\usepackage{booktabs} +\usepackage{tikz} +\usepackage{xcolor} +\usepackage{graphicx} +\usepackage{hyperref} +\usepackage{amsmath} + +%% ── Colours (inspired by C2S / PSL palette) ────────────────────────────── +\definecolor{pslblue}{HTML}{003D73} +\definecolor{pslgold}{HTML}{C8A951} +\definecolor{psllight}{HTML}{E8F0F8} +\definecolor{darkgray}{HTML}{333333} +\definecolor{midgray}{HTML}{666666} +\definecolor{accent}{HTML}{C0392B} + +%% ── Theme ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\usetheme{metropolis} +\metroset{ + titleformat=smallcaps, + progressbar=frametitle, + block=fill, + numbering=fraction +} +\setbeamercolor{normal text}{fg=darkgray} +\setbeamercolor{alerted text}{fg=accent} +\setbeamercolor{example text}{fg=pslblue} +\setbeamercolor{frametitle}{bg=pslblue, fg=white} +\setbeamercolor{title separator}{fg=pslgold} +\setbeamercolor{progress bar}{fg=pslgold, bg=psllight} +\setbeamercolor{block title}{bg=pslblue!15, fg=pslblue} +\setbeamercolor{block body}{bg=pslblue!5} +\setbeamercolor{palette primary}{bg=pslblue, fg=white} + +%% ── Fonts ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\setsansfont{IBM Plex Sans}[ + UprightFont = *-Regular, + BoldFont = *-SemiBold, + ItalicFont = *-Italic, + BoldItalicFont = *-SemiBoldItalic, + Scale = 1.0 +] +\setmainfont{IBM Plex Serif}[ + UprightFont = *-Regular, + BoldFont = *-SemiBold, + ItalicFont = *-Italic, + BoldItalicFont = *-SemiBoldItalic, +] +\setmonofont{IBM Plex Mono}[ + UprightFont = *-Regular, + BoldFont = *-Bold, + Scale = 0.88 +] + +%% ── Footer ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\setbeamertemplate{footline}{% + \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\paperwidth, ht=2.5ex, dp=1.5ex, leftskip=4mm, rightskip=4mm]{palette primary}% + \tiny Simon Carrignon · UCL GEE \hfill + C2S Workshop, Paris · 18--19 May 2026 \hfill + \insertframenumber/\inserttotalframenumber + \end{beamercolorbox}% +} + +%% ── Title info ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\title{Bridging Scales in Cultural Evolution} +\subtitle{Agent-Based Modelling, Archaeological Patterns,\\and Computational Approaches to Human Cultural Change} +\author{Simon Carrignon} +\institute{% + Department of Genetics, Evolution \& Environment\\ + University College London\\[4pt] + \small CDAL · ENCOUNTER · UGI +} +\date{% + C2S — Computational Cultural Science Workshop\\ + École nationale des Chartes -- PSL, Paris\\ + 18--19 May 2026 +} + +%% ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ +\begin{document} + +\maketitle + +%% ── Outline ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Outline} + \tableofcontents +\end{frame} + +\section{The Problem: Scales and Data} + +%% ── Frame 1 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Computational Methods Have Transformed Cultural Research} + \begin{columns}[T] + \begin{column}{0.55\textwidth} + \textbf{What we can now do:} + \begin{itemize} + \item Mine large cultural datasets (texts, images, artefacts) + \item Extract meaningful patterns without prior theory + \item Apply ML, Bayesian inference, network analysis,\\dimensionality reduction + \end{itemize} + \vspace{6pt} + \textbf{Result:} unprecedented empirical reach + \end{column} + \begin{column}{0.42\textwidth} + \begin{block}{Key methods} + \small + Machine learning\\ + Bayesian inference\\ + Network analysis\\ + Dimensionality reduction\\ + Agent-based modelling + \end{block} + \end{column} + \end{columns} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 2 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{But There Are Limits} + \begin{alertblock}{The bias problem} + These methods remain biased toward \textbf{certain types of data} + and \textbf{certain scales of analysis} + \end{alertblock} + \vspace{10pt} + \begin{itemize} + \item Most work focuses on \emph{large, digitised, recent} corpora + \item Societies without extensive textual records are underrepresented + \item Local patterns ≠ global mechanisms + \end{itemize} + \vspace{10pt} + \begin{exampleblock}{The challenge} + How do we understand \textbf{general human cultural behaviour at scale},\\ + including societies that have left \textbf{few easily interpretable traces}? + \end{exampleblock} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 3 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{The Mesoscale Gap} + \begin{center} + \begin{tikzpicture} + \draw[->, thick, pslblue] (0,0) -- (10,0) node[right] {\textbf{Scale}}; + % Local + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=psllight, text width=2cm, align=center] + at (1.5,1.2) {\small Local\\interactions}; + % Meso + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=pslgold!30, text width=2.5cm, align=center, + thick, pslgold] + at (5,1.8) {\textbf{Mesoscale}\\Regional\\Millennial}; + \node[below=2pt] at (5,0.8) {\footnotesize \textit{our target}}; + % Global + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=psllight, text width=2.2cm, align=center] + at (8.5,1.2) {\small Global\\patterns}; + % Arrows + \draw[->, midgray] (2.5,1.2) -- (3.8,1.5); + \draw[->, midgray] (7.2,1.2) -- (6.2,1.5); + \end{tikzpicture} + \end{center} + \vspace{4pt} + \begin{itemize} + \item Processes unfolding at \textbf{regional level over millennia} + \item Mechanisms observed locally must be \textbf{extrapolated} carefully + \item Evidence is often \textbf{archaeological} — fragmented, biased, indirect + \end{itemize} +\end{frame} + +\section{The Approach} + +%% ── Frame 4 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Our Proposal: Coupling Data and Models} + \begin{center} + \begin{tikzpicture}[node distance=3.5cm] + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=pslblue!15, text width=3.2cm, align=center, + minimum height=1.5cm] (data) + {\textbf{Archaeological\\Data}\\[4pt]\small ML · Bayesian\\pattern extraction}; + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=pslgold!25, text width=3.2cm, align=center, + minimum height=1.5cm, right of=data] (model) + {\textbf{Agent-Based\\Models}\\[4pt]\small Cultural change\\exploration}; + \node[draw, rounded corners, fill=accent!15, text width=3cm, align=center, + minimum height=1.5cm, right of=model] (hypo) + {\textbf{Hypothesis\\Testing}\\[4pt]\small Mesoscale\\predictions}; + \draw[->, thick, pslblue, line width=1.5pt] (data) -- (model); + \draw[->, thick, pslblue, line width=1.5pt] (model) -- (hypo); + \draw[->, thick, midgray, dashed] (hypo.south) .. controls +(0,-1.2) and +(0,-1.2) .. + (data.south) node[midway, below] {\small feedback}; + \end{tikzpicture} + \end{center} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 5 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Why Agent-Based Modelling?} + \begin{columns}[T] + \begin{column}{0.5\textwidth} + \textbf{ABM allows us to:} + \begin{itemize} + \item Model \textbf{individual decisions} and local interactions + \item Observe \textbf{emergent} population-level patterns + \item Test hypotheses where \textbf{controlled experiments} are impossible + \item Explore \textbf{counterfactuals} and sensitivity + \end{itemize} + \end{column} + \begin{column}{0.47\textwidth} + \begin{block}{Epstein (2008)} + \small ``The agent-based computational model is a new tool for social science\ldots it generates candidate explanations.'' + \end{block} + \vspace{6pt} + \begin{block}{Levins (1966)} + \small Models trade off generality, realism, and precision. Choose deliberately. + \end{block} + \end{column} + \end{columns} +\end{frame} + +\section{Case Studies} + +%% ── Frame 6 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Case Study 1: Cultural Diversity and Taphonomic Bias} + \begin{itemize} + \item \textbf{Question:} How does archaeological preservation bias our view\\of past cultural diversity? + \item \textbf{Approach:} Network-based community detection + ABM + \item \textbf{Data:} Bronze Age assemblages (BIAD / EPNet datasets) + \item \textbf{Method:} Simulate cultural exchange networks,\\apply taphonomic loss, compare to empirical patterns + \end{itemize} + \vspace{8pt} + \begin{exampleblock}{Key finding} + Spatial structure and mobility rates interact to determine\\ + how much diversity is \emph{observable} vs. \emph{lost to the record} + \end{exampleblock} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 7 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Case Study 2: Patterns at Regional Scale} + \begin{itemize} + \item \textbf{Question:} Can we extract meaningful cultural signals\\from heterogeneous archaeological datasets? + \item \textbf{Approach:} Machine learning + Bayesian classification\\of artefact assemblages + \item \textbf{Tools:} Dimensionality reduction (PCA, UMAP),\\Bayesian mixture models + \item \textbf{Coupling:} Patterns inform ABM parameter spaces\\for cultural transmission models + \end{itemize} + \vspace{8pt} + \begin{alertblock}{The challenge of the record} + Archaeological evidence is fragmentary, spatially biased,\\ + and temporally coarse — methods must account for this explicitly + \end{alertblock} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 8 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Case Study 3: Modelling Cultural Change Trajectories} + \begin{itemize} + \item \textbf{Question:} What cultural transmission processes\\generate the patterns we observe? + \item \textbf{ABM setup:} Agents represent social groups;\\traits spread via biased transmission, drift, migration + \item \textbf{Validation:} Simulated distributions compared to archaeological record + \item \textbf{Scale:} Regional networks over centuries to millennia + \end{itemize} + \vspace{8pt} + \begin{block}{Why this matters for C2S} + The same pipeline applies to \textbf{textual/cultural corpora}:\\ + extract patterns → model mechanisms → test hypotheses + \end{block} +\end{frame} + +\section{Perspectives} + +%% ── Frame 9 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Connecting to Computational Cultural Science} + \begin{columns}[T] + \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth} + \textbf{From archaeology to culture broadly:} + \begin{itemize} + \item Same questions, different data types + \item Texts, images, media as ``cultural assemblages'' + \item Disruption metrics (Kim et al. 2026)\\as cultural fitness proxies + \item NLP + ABM for media dynamics + \end{itemize} + \end{column} + \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth} + \textbf{Open challenges:} + \begin{itemize} + \item Model validation without ground truth + \item Integrating heterogeneous data types + \item Interpretability of ML-extracted patterns + \item Theory–data feedback loops + \end{itemize} + \end{column} + \end{columns} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Frame 10 ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}{Summary} + \begin{enumerate} + \item Computational methods have \textbf{transformed} cultural research\\ + but remain biased toward certain data and scales + \vspace{6pt} + \item The \textbf{mesoscale} — regional processes over millennia —\\ + is tractable by coupling ML/Bayesian extraction with ABM + \vspace{6pt} + \item \textbf{Archaeological evidence} is a hard test case:\\ + methods that work here generalise + \vspace{6pt} + \item This pipeline connects directly to broader \textbf{computational\\ + cultural science}: patterns → mechanisms → predictions + \end{enumerate} +\end{frame} + +%% ── Thank you ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\begin{frame}[standout] + \centering + \Large Thank you\\[12pt] + \normalsize + \href{mailto:s.carrignon@ucl.ac.uk}{s.carrignon@ucl.ac.uk}\\[6pt] + UCL GEE · CDAL · ENCOUNTER · UGI\\[10pt] + \small + Slides \& code: \href{https://github.com/simoncarrignon}{github.com/simoncarrignon}\\[16pt] + \textit{Computational Cultural Science Workshop}\\ + École nationale des Chartes -- PSL · Paris · May 2026 +\end{frame} + +%% ── Backup slides ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── +\appendix + +\begin{frame}{References} + \small + \begin{itemize} + \item Epstein, J.M. (2008). Why Model? \textit{JASSS} 11(4):12. + \item Levins, R. (1966). The strategy of model building in population biology. + \textit{Am. Sci.} 54:421--431. + \item Bonabeau, E. (2002). Agent-based modeling. \textit{PNAS} 99:7280--7287. + \item Reichenbach et al. (2007). Mobility promotes and jeopardizes biodiversity. + \textit{Nature} 448:1046--1049. + \item Kim, Kojaku \& Ahn (2026). Uncovering simultaneous breakthroughs. + \textit{Science Advances} 12(14). + \end{itemize} +\end{frame} + +\begin{frame}{The Archaeological Record: Key Challenges} + \begin{itemize} + \item \textbf{Preservation bias:} organic materials lost; hard materials persist + \item \textbf{Spatial bias:} sampling effort uneven across regions + \item \textbf{Temporal resolution:} centuries collapsed into single ``phases'' + \item \textbf{Inference gap:} behaviour → material culture → preservation → observation + \end{itemize} + \vspace{6pt} + Methods must be \textbf{explicitly designed} to account for these filters,\\ + not applied naively from other domains. +\end{frame} + +\end{document}