Structural differences among individuals, genders and generations as the key for ritual transmission, stereotypy and flexibility
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cDepartment of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Israel
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We analysed a Zulu wedding ritual, posing two questions: (i) what makes a ritual stereotyped and rigid along with preserving certain flexibility; and (ii) does a ritual pass between generations and individuals en bloc, or as a smaller subset of acts? We found that the ritual repertoire constituted only one act that was common to all individuals that performed the ritual. Repetitive performance of this act conveyed the impression of a stereotyped ritual. This structure eases the transmission of the ritual, since it is only necessary to learn the performance of one act that can then be embedded in a sequence of ‘free-style’ acts. Gender difference was minimal, but young women performed more acts than adults, perhaps as a reflection of them being inexperienced actors. Altogether, the present study unveils underlying mechanisms that seem to characterize the evolution of rituals and thereby highlighting a foundation of human cultural behaviour in general.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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Structural differences among individuals, genders and generations as the key for ritual transmission, stereotypy and flexibility
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Kristoffer L. Nielbo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Michal Fux in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Joel Mort in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Reut Zamir in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
cDepartment of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Israel
Search for other papers by David Eilam in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
We analysed a Zulu wedding ritual, posing two questions: (i) what makes a ritual stereotyped and rigid along with preserving certain flexibility; and (ii) does a ritual pass between generations and individuals en bloc, or as a smaller subset of acts? We found that the ritual repertoire constituted only one act that was common to all individuals that performed the ritual. Repetitive performance of this act conveyed the impression of a stereotyped ritual. This structure eases the transmission of the ritual, since it is only necessary to learn the performance of one act that can then be embedded in a sequence of ‘free-style’ acts. Gender difference was minimal, but young women performed more acts than adults, perhaps as a reflection of them being inexperienced actors. Altogether, the present study unveils underlying mechanisms that seem to characterize the evolution of rituals and thereby highlighting a foundation of human cultural behaviour in general.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 780 | 84 | 12 |
| Full Text Views | 228 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 60 | 3 | 0 |
