An ethnological analogy and biogenetic model for interpretation of religion and ritual in the past

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Vol/Iss. 29 Springer Published In Pages: 335–389
By Winkelman, Michael J.

Abstract

Expanding on the author’s previous findings, this article examines the social and economic variables that may explain the cultural evolution of religious practitioners. With a 47 society sample, the author found that subsistence activities and socio-political conditions predict magico-religious practitioner types (sorcerers/witches, priests, shamanistic healers, mediums, healers, shaman/healers, and shamans) with the strongest results being from subsistence and political organization. He then used these findings to theorize about the biogenetic bases of religion in societies.

Documents and Hypotheses Filed By:danielle.russell jacob.kalodner