Dissertation Research: Religious Signaling and Cooperation in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil

论文研究：巴西萨尔瓦多巴伊亚的宗教信号与合作

• 批准号: 0519236
• 负责人: Lee Cronk
• 金额: $ 1.1万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0519236&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Religious; Signaling; Cooperation

Religious ritual has long been seen as a pivotal mechanism for promoting and maintaining cohesion within a community, but the processes by which this occurs remain poorly understood. Some theorize that ritual promotes sociality by requiring costly investments of time, effort or resources as reliable signals of commitment to the group. Public displays of devotion allow individuals to monitor each other's behavior and thus serve to prevent cheating and encourage cooperation. These issues will be studied by a dissertation project in cultural anthropology focusing on the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomble. The ceremonies and feasts of the religion can be particularly extravagant and expensive for followers, yet it is a growing spiritual option for many poor and low middle-class Brazilians. This research will investigate the relationship between religious commitment and solidarity in Candomble congregations in the city of Salvador da Bahia. It will test the hypothesis that members of these religious communities who display higher commitment levels to the religion will also be more cooperative and cohesive. Commitment will be assessed through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a commitment scale. Cooperation will be measured through the use of an experimental economic game. Social network analysis will reveal levels of cohesion and solidarity within each community. The broader impact of this project is gaining an understanding of the elements which characterize a successful religious group, which is increasingly important given the current resurgence of religion as a political and social motivation. Parallel processes may also operate in other social institutions that restrict membership. Additionally, this research project will advance the training of a doctoral student and provide training opportunities for two undergraduate assistants from Brazilian universities.

宗教仪式长期以来一直被视为促进和维持社区凝聚力的关键机制，但人们对这一过程仍然知之甚少。一些理论认为，仪式需要花费大量的时间、精力或资源，作为对群体承诺的可靠信号，从而促进社会性。公开展示奉献精神使个人能够监督彼此的行为，从而防止作弊并鼓励合作。这些问题将通过文化人类学的论文项目进行研究，重点是Candomble的非洲裔巴西宗教。宗教的仪式和节日对追随者来说可能特别奢侈和昂贵，但对许多穷人和中产阶级的巴西人来说，这是一个越来越多的精神选择。本研究将探讨在萨尔瓦多达巴伊亚市的Candomble教会的宗教承诺和团结之间的关系。它将测试的假设，这些宗教社区的成员谁表现出更高的承诺水平的宗教也将更加合作和凝聚力。承诺将通过定性和定量相结合的方法进行评估，包括参与者观察，半结构化访谈和承诺量表。合作将通过一个实验性的经济游戏来衡量。社会网络分析将揭示每个社区内的凝聚力和团结程度。这一项目的更广泛影响是了解一个成功的宗教团体的特征，鉴于目前宗教作为一种政治和社会动机的复苏，这一点越来越重要。在其他限制成员资格的社会机构中，也可能存在类似的程序。此外，这一研究项目将促进对一名博士生的培训，并为来自巴西大学的两名本科生助理提供培训机会。