The nature of religious diversity: a cultural ecosystem approach

Studies of religious and other cultural groups tend to be particularistic or focus on one or more axes of variation. In this article we develop a more comprehensive approach to studying cultural diversity that emulates the study of biological diversity. We compare our cultural ecosystem approach wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religion, brain & behavior
Authors: Wilson, David Sloan (Author) ; Hartberg, Yasha (Author) ; MacDonald, Ian (Author) ; Lanman, Jonathan A. (Author) ; Whitehouse, Harvey (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2017
In: Religion, brain & behavior
Further subjects:B Religious Diversity
B biocultural evolution
B Ecosystems
B Cultural Diversity
B Evolution
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Studies of religious and other cultural groups tend to be particularistic or focus on one or more axes of variation. In this article we develop a more comprehensive approach to studying cultural diversity that emulates the study of biological diversity. We compare our cultural ecosystem approach with the axis approach, using the distinction between "tight" and "loose" cultures as an example. We show that while the axis approach is useful, the cultural ecosystem approach adds considerable value to the axis approach. We end by advocating the establishment of field sites for the study of religious and cultural diversity, comparable to biological field sites.
ISSN:2153-5981
Contains:Enthalten in: Religion, brain & behavior
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/2153599X.2015.1132243