TONIGHT Free Fediscience!
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Anthropologists Chris Knight and Jerome Lewis talk about their forthcoming book 'The Revolutionary Origins of Language' (Yale UP 2026). Drawing on primatology, linguistics, evolutionary theory, biological and social anthropology, in particular of existing central African hunter-gatherer societies,
they show how early human societies' unique cooperative childcare, ritualized practices and egalitarian politics was fundamental to language emergence.
language emerged not just for practical communication but through dramatic, shared cultural performances fostering deep trust and symbolic understanding, a shift from primate dominance to shared humanity.
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they show how early human societies' unique cooperative childcare, ritualized practices and egalitarian politics was fundamental to language emergence.
language emerged not just for practical communication but through dramatic, shared cultural performances fostering deep trust and symbolic understanding, a shift from primate dominance to shared humanity.
Chris Knight is the founder of the Radical Anthropology Group and author of Blood Relations: Menstruation and the origins of culture (1991).
Jerome Lewis lectures in Social Anthropology at University College London.
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they show how early human societies' unique cooperative childcare, ritualized practices and egalitarian politics was fundamental to language emergence.
language emerged not just for practical communication but through dramatic, shared cultural performances fostering deep trust and symbolic understanding, a shift from primate dominance to shared humanity.
Except we (AFAIK) don't know a thing about early human societies' childcare nor ritualized practices...
Considering modern hunter-gatherer societies as a valid comparison point is an hypothesis and nothing more, and not everybody is on board with that hypothesis. -
Except we (AFAIK) don't know a thing about early human societies' childcare nor ritualized practices...
Considering modern hunter-gatherer societies as a valid comparison point is an hypothesis and nothing more, and not everybody is on board with that hypothesis.@lienrag sorry we do have serious archaeological evidence on ritual practice in the African Middle Stone Age ochre record, we do have serious behavioural ecology models of what the practice entailed. It's not just about African h-gs but they do teach us more than anyone can about the social contexts for emergence of language itself.
Have you have even attended a single one of our talks? Then maybe argue. But make sure you've read Sarah Hrdy's 'Mothers and others' first.
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TONIGHT
Free Fediscience! Please boost!
Tues Mar 10, 18:30 (UTC London)
Chris Knight and Jerome Lewis
The Revolutionary Origins of LanguageAll welcome
LIVE in Daryll Forde Room, 2nd Floor, UCL Anthropology Dept, 14 Taviton St, WC1H 0BW
ZOOM ID 952 8554 1412 passcode Wawilak
@RadicalAnthro can anyone attend?
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@RadicalAnthro can anyone attend?
@fluffykontbiscuits yes, it says All welcome. Come along or join on ZOOM!
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@fluffykontbiscuits yes, it says All welcome. Come along or join on ZOOM!
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@RadicalAnthro thabk you!
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@RadicalAnthro evenng
Has it started yet? -
@RadicalAnthro evenng
Has it started yet?@fluffykontbiscuits it is on Tuesdays, next Tues Mar 10.
We always do Tuesday evening
Here is the UCL listing
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/anthropology/events/anthropology-research-seminars/radical-anthropology-seminars -
R relay@relay.infosec.exchange shared this topic
