How did you get interested in Cognitive Anthropology?

Do you remember your first connection with the anthropology we describe with the adjective "cognitive"? What captured your interest? Have you pursued your interest with independent or with formal study?

I was reading an article and tucked away in the middle of it was the folloing prase: "As all cognitive anthropologists know...." I was struck by the term, and researched it, and found that it exactly covers my own interest in culture and humanity. I have read much since then, and am as excited about the study as ever. Though none of my reading has been formally directed, I am looking for doctoral progams. Any idaes?

My interest in cognitive anthropology came first from reading the work of Berlin and Kay on universals of color terms and subsequently work on ethnobiological classification, such as Berlin's Ethnobiological Classification.

One of the best ways to look for a doctoral program is to find out where your favorite authors teach. That is true in a lot of fields, but especially true in cognitive anthropology since it is a field that is really not represented in many anthropology departments. You don't want to end up in a department dominated by postmodernist cultural anthropologists or one that focusses entirely on biological and archaeology. Rather, you want to look for a department that is supportive of cognitive anthropology, ideally with not only at least one cognitive anthropologist but some people in relevant neighboring areas, e.g. psychologists interest in categorization and concept formation, linguists interested in anthropological linguistics and/or fieldwork, biologists interested in ethnobiology.

Thanks, billposer! I am trying to do that, but my favorite authors seem to teach at master's level institutions! There is, of course, U Conn, with Roy D'Andrade, and I will start there. After that, I find very little info until I look at each program individually, hence the request for hints!

The name Scott Atran comes to mind, he teaches at the university of michigan...