Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial
prosociality in Mauritius

k 2025

Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva

Základní údaje

Originální název

Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius

Autoři

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva

Vydání

Religious studies meet psychology: Experimental research in cross-cultural perspective, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, 9 April 2025, Brno, Czech Republic, 2025

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Prezentace na konferencích

Obor

60304 Religious studies

Stát vydavatele

Česká republika

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Organizační jednotka

Filozofická fakulta

Klíčová slova anglicky

supernatural beliefs; sorcery; ancestor worship; cooperation; moral psychology; parochial prosociality; random allocation game; Mauritius

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam

Změněno: 26. 1. 2026 14:43, Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová

Anotace

V originále

Mauritian beliefs about nam—the spirit of a deceased person— can take the form of either ancestor worship or sorcery, the latter being socially stigmatized and legally prohibited in Mauritius. Prior work suggests that sorcery and witchcraft beliefs may undermine social cohesion and trust, yet empirical studies are constrained by stigma and by limited comparison with other local supernatural agents. In this study, we examined how different modes of nam belief relate to parochial prosociality using the Random Allocation Game. Participants who endorsed a sorcery-oriented interpretation of nam and reported performing related rituals were more likely to violate game rules for personal gain than those who understood nam primarily in terms of ancestor worship. These findings extend research on the evolutionary psychology of religion by showing that beliefs in local, low- or non-moralizing supernatural agents can differentially shape cooperative behavior within communities, complementing work on moralizing high gods and their role in regulating prosociality.

Návaznosti

MUNI/A/1622/2024, interní kód MU

Název: Religiozita, kauzalita, a behaviorální vzorce

Investor: Masarykova univerzita, Religiozita, kauzalita, a behaviorální vzorce

Citovat

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva. Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius. In Religious studies meet psychology: Experimental research in cross-cultural perspective, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, 9 April 2025, Brno, Czech Republic. 2025.

@proceedings{2533000,
   author = {Kundtová Klocová, Eva},
   booktitle = {Religious studies meet psychology: Experimental research in cross-cultural perspective, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, 9 April 2025, Brno, Czech Republic},
   keywords = {supernatural beliefs; sorcery; ancestor worship; cooperation; moral psychology; parochial prosociality; random allocation game; Mauritius},
   language = {eng},
   title = {Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius},
   year = {2025}
}

TY  - CONF
ID  - 2533000
AU  - Kundtová Klocová, Eva
PY  - 2025
TI  - Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius
KW  - supernatural beliefs
KW  - sorcery
KW  - ancestor worship
KW  - cooperation
KW  - moral psychology
KW  - parochial prosociality
KW  - random allocation game
KW  - Mauritius
N2  - Mauritian beliefs about nam—the spirit of a deceased person— can take the form of either ancestor worship or sorcery, the latter being socially stigmatized and legally prohibited in Mauritius. Prior work suggests that sorcery and witchcraft beliefs may undermine social cohesion and trust, yet empirical studies are constrained by stigma and by limited comparison with other local supernatural agents. In this study, we examined how different modes of nam belief relate to parochial prosociality using the Random Allocation Game. Participants who endorsed a sorcery-oriented interpretation of nam and reported performing related rituals were more likely to violate game rules for personal gain than those who understood nam primarily in terms of ancestor worship. These findings extend research on the evolutionary psychology of religion by showing that beliefs in local, low- or non-moralizing supernatural agents can differentially shape cooperative behavior within communities, complementing work on moralizing high gods and their role in regulating prosociality.
ER  -

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva. Ancestor and sorcery beliefs and their effect on parochial prosociality in Mauritius. In \textit{Religious studies meet psychology: Experimental research in cross-cultural perspective, Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, 9 April 2025, Brno, Czech Republic}. 2025.

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