This article is a global comparative review of the archaeological and ethnographic literature on evidence for inter-group warfare throughout human history, starting with the emergence of the genus Homo in Africa during the Pleistocene (ca. 2.5 million years ago) and continuing through to the present day. Historically, the discussion around warfare in anthropology has been framed as a debate between a Hobbesian, “deep roots” vision of humanity, wherein the earliest humans inherited a biological instinct for war from their evolutionary ancestors, and a Rousseauian “shallow roots” framework, wherein war is a modern phenomenon, linked to the spread of agriculture and sedentism during the Holocene. However, upon reviewing a large bibliography of published bioarchaeological data, the author concludes that the truth lies somewhere in between these two extremes.

Prevailing anthropological theory holds that social norms restricting the promiscuity of women tend to be more prevalent in pastoralist societies, where the long periods of unmonitored separation between spouses that often arise as a result of animal herding tends to result in stricter repression of female sexuality. This article explores the relationship between several societies' historical reliance on pastoralism and their attitudes towards four topics related to female promiscuity: abortion, female mobility, female promiscuity and female genital mutilation. The author finds all for topics to be significantly correlated with historical reliance on pastoralism.

The authors examine the relationship between magico-religious practitioner type and socioeconomic variables in order to present a typology of magico-religious practitioners. Three bases for magico-religious practitioners are discussed in terms of selection procedures and activities. Several hypotheses are empirically tested, and descriptive generalizations derived from analyses are presented.

The authors examine the relationship between magico-religious practitioner type and socioeconomic variables in order to present a typology of magico-religious practitioners. Three bases for magico-religious practitioners are discussed in terms of selection procedures and activities. Several hypotheses are empirically tested, and descriptive generalizations derived from analyses are presented.

This study is a comprehensive analysis of female and male genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C and MGM/C) practices, including their history and socio-ecological correlates, using a phylogenetic cross-cultural framework. It employed two global ethnographic samples, the Ethnographic Atlas (EA) and the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS), and two subsets of the phylogeny (supertree) of human populations based on genetic and linguistic data, to investigate the variables that may have led to the introduction of these practices, and to determine where and when they may have originated. The study suggests that MGM/C probably originated in polygynous societies with separate residence for co-wives, supporting a mate-guarding function, and that FGM/C likely originated subsequently and almost exclusively in societies already practicing MGM/C, where it may have become a signal of chastity. Both practices are believed to have originated multiple times, some as early as in the mid-Holocene (5,000–7,000 years ago). The study posits that GM/C co-evolves with and may help maintain fundamental social structures and that the high fitness costs of FGM/C are offset by social benefits, such as enhanced marriageability and social capital.

The expressed purpose of the present publication is to provide a typology of institutionalized dissociational states on a world-wide basis, using biological, situational, and cultural parameters. The study is comprised of field work, literature review, ethnographic research, and cross-cultural statistical analysis. The researchers use these findings to aid in the construction of cross-cultural theory, and to provide a platform for further work on dissociational states to continue.

A community’s response to the risks posed by natural (and other) disasters is highly dependent on the political participation of its members. This study examines political participation data from 22 published studies, representing 183 historical and contemporary cultures experiencing disaster risk (including several monocultural countries, used as proxies for cultures). Using a combination of statistical and qualitative analyses, the authors comment on both what types of political engagement (voting vs. extra-governmental organizing vs. town hall-style consensus decision making, etc.) and what levels of engagement tend to result in optimal outcomes during disaster risk mitigation.

This article posits an explanation of witchcraft based on developments of subsistence type and social stratification. In small foraging bands, individuals' fear systems evolved to detect deceit and other social dliemmas. Following a transition to farming communities, the fear system could become overstimulated, resulting in accusations of witchcraft. Various factors such as centralization of political control, property rights, and urbanization mark a shift toward more collectivist forms of social paranoia.

The authors assemble an inventory of burning practices based on cross-cultural ethnographic data in order to elucidate or provide interpretive range for burning patterns seen in the archaeological record. Although no explicit hypotheses are tested, descriptive generalizations are proposed.

This article presents a cross-cultural analysis of the characteristics of mobile pastoral groups to determine if similar groups were likely in prehistory in the central Balkans. The author reviews Johnson’s (2002) classification of pastoral adaptation modes and his analysis largely confirms her preliminary findings. He finds, however, that subsistence and economic specialists tend to have higher mobility, a variable in turn associated with high seasonal variability.