The evolution and ontogeny of ethno-linguistic reasoning
-
18 May 2017
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM - room A21, HUME Lab, FF MU, Arna Nováka 1, 60200 Brno
While many social species are group living, linguistically or symbolically marked social groups, characterized by large repertoires of shared cultural norms and behaviours, are uniquely human. However, the evolutionary relevance and psychological underpinnings of such ethnic groups remains debated. In this talk, I will examine the possibility that the way humans learn about ethno-linguistic boundaries reveal the structure of adaptations for reasoning about these. I report on psychological and ethnographic research from the Quechua-Aymara border in the Peruvian altiplano that speaks to these questions. Results 1) reveal the importance of distinguishing between functionally independent intergroup phenomena such as stereotyping and cooperation, and 2) suggest that children are prone to develop essentialist beliefs about ethno-linguistic groups, even in cultural contexts where adults do not. Implications for our models of human social evolution will be discussed.
- Organized by
-
HUME Lab - Experimental Humanities Laboratory (Faculty of Arts)
- Responsibility
-
Mgr. et Mgr. Eva Kundtová Klocová, Ph.D.
- Further information, photos or videos on the event
-
https://www.facebook.com/events/216896648801944/
https://is.muni.cz/dstore/bt/000/069/434/792/69434792/moya.png