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

长期以来，宗教仪式一直被视为促进和维持社区内凝聚力的关键机制，但人们对其发生的过程仍知之甚少。一些人的理论认为，仪式通过要求投入昂贵的时间、精力或资源来促进社会性，作为对群体承诺的可靠信号。公开展示爱心可以让个人相互监督对方的行为，从而防止作弊并鼓励合作。这些问题将通过文化人类学的一个论文项目来研究，该项目的重点是坎多布尔的非裔巴西宗教。对于追随者来说，宗教的仪式和宴会可能特别奢侈和昂贵，但对于许多贫穷和低中产阶级的巴西人来说，这是一种越来越多的精神选择。这项研究将调查萨尔瓦多达巴伊亚市坎多姆布尔会众的宗教承诺和团结之间的关系。它将检验这样一个假设，即这些宗教社区的成员对宗教表现出更高的承诺水平，也会更合作和更有凝聚力。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部的凝聚力和团结程度。该项目的更广泛影响是了解了一个成功的宗教团体的特点，鉴于目前宗教作为一种政治和社会动机的复兴，这一点变得越来越重要。平行程序也可能在限制成员资格的其他社会机构中运作。此外，该研究项目将推进一名博士生的培训，并为巴西大学的两名本科生助理提供培训机会。

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.