Voluntary Costly Signals in Religious Communities: A Political Interpretation
The article advances a political interpretation of ritual behavior in religious communes, grounded in costly signaling theory of religion. Both asceticism, often involving self-inflicted pain or severe deprivation, and ecstatic behavior, incurring considerable energetic and emotional expenditure, ca...
| Published in: | Method & theory in the study of religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2023
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| In: |
Method & theory in the study of religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Russia
/ USA
/ Skoptsy
/ Shakers
/ Asceticism
/ Ecstasy
/ Risk appetite
/ Signal
/ Religious sociology
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AE Psychology of religion CB Christian life; spirituality KBK Europe (East) KBQ North America KDH Christian sects |
| Further subjects: | B
Religious Ritual
B costly signaling theory B the Shakers B the Skoptsy B Political anthropology B religious communes |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The article advances a political interpretation of ritual behavior in religious communes, grounded in costly signaling theory of religion. Both asceticism, often involving self-inflicted pain or severe deprivation, and ecstatic behavior, incurring considerable energetic and emotional expenditure, can perform the role of voluntary costly signals (VCS) – uncoerced displays broadcasting features that predispose the signaler to higher status or position of authority in the community. VCS, as all costly signals, help the group determine the distribution of relevant traits, but, in contrast to most applications of the signaling theory, it is leadership qualifications, and not commitment, that these signals communicate. The discussion of the VCS’ empowering mechanism is illustrated with cross-cultural evidence, focusing on Russian Skoptsy and American Shakers. Voluntary costly signaling had demonstrably contributed to the creation and stability of these groups’ power regimes. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0682 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Method & theory in the study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700682-bja10105 |