The University of British Columbia

Some of the greatest atrocities have been caused by groups defending or advancing their political aspirations and sacred values. In order to comprehend and address the wanton violence of war, terrorism and genocide, it is necessary to understand the forces that bind and drive human groups. A five-year program of research, based in Oxford but with a significant UBC component, investigates one of the most powerful mechanisms by which groups may be formed, inspired, and coordinated—ritual.  This project examines the role of ritual in child development, in social behaviour, and in the evolution of political systems and is being undertaken with the collaboration of anthropologists, psychologists, historians, archaeologists, and evolutionary theorists. In this talk, Jon will discuss the project as a whole and the research he and his colleagues are conducting on ritual’s impacts on social cohesion and intergroup relations.