Cultural Conventions as Group-Makers
In most literature on human cultural evolution and the emergence of large-scale cooperation, the main function of cultural conventions is described as providing group-markers. This paper argues that cultural conventions serve another purpose as well that is at least as important. Large-scale coopera...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
2022
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In: |
Journal of cognition and culture
Year: 2022, Volume: 22, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 203-219 |
Further subjects: | B
cultural conventions
B Coordination B Cultural Evolution B Collaboration |
Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | In most literature on human cultural evolution and the emergence of large-scale cooperation, the main function of cultural conventions is described as providing group-markers. This paper argues that cultural conventions serve another purpose as well that is at least as important. Large-scale cooperation is characterized by complex division of labour and by a diversity of social roles associated with cultural institutions. This requires ubiquitous ‘role-interaction coordination’ – as it will be labelled. It is argued that without cultural conventions this type of coordination would be cognitively intractable. Thus, apart from functioning as group markers, they are first and foremost important group-makers. |
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ISSN: | 1568-5373 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of cognition and culture
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685373-12340132 |