Ritual in Human Evolution and Religion

This book explores the role of ritual in social life, human evolution, and religion. It explains the functions and purpose of varied rituals across the world by arguing they are mechanisms of 'resource management', providing a descriptive tool for understanding rituals and generating predictions about ritual survival.

Autorentext

Matt J. Rossano is Professor of Psychology at Southeastern Louisiana University and a well-known authority on the evolution of ritual and religion. He earned his doctorate in Psychology in 1991 from the University of California at Riverside. He is an evolutionary psychologist who has authored or co-authored dozens of scholarly papers, book chapters, commentaries, and reviews.

Inhalt

Introduction

Chapter 1: Psych of Ritual

Chapter 2: Ritual Management

Chapter 3: Work of Rituals

Chapter 4: Arch of Ritual

Chapter 5: Hunter-gatherer Rituals

Chapter 6: Civilized Rituals

Chapter 7: Lifecycle Rituals

Chapter 8: Soviet Rituals

Chapter 9: Rituals of Desperation