The Sensory Ecology of Deception in Human Societies
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The Sensory Ecology of Deception in Human Societies

Evolutionary anthropologist Will Buckner looks at the role of deception and mimicry from hunting, to ritual and shamanic practice

By Camilla Power

Date and time

Tuesday, May 7 · 6:30 - 8:30pm GMT+1

Location

Daryll Forde Seminar Room,

Anthropology Building, 14 Taviton St, off Gordon Sq. University College London London London WC1H United Kingdom

About this event

  • 2 hours

Will writes: "Humans are skilled at exploiting the sensory biases of conspecifics and other species. Hunters mimic the appearance, mannerisms, and vocalizations of their prey as a lure, shaman use sleight of hand in healing practices to give the appearance of impressive powers, and ritual specialists wear disguises embodying ostensibly powerful spirits and mythical creatures as a tool of social control. I draw on ethnohistorical case studies to demonstrate the prevalence and importance of these phenomena across societies throughout human history. Costumed and musical performances involving the strategic impersonation of other agents are a recurrent and underexplored behavioral phenomenon across societies, with important evolutionary implications for how humans’ reason, deceive, and assess the reputations of others."

Will Buckner is speaking LIVE in the Daryll Forde Room, 2nd Floor, UCL Anthropology Dept. Everybody is welcome, just turn up -- there is lots of room (doesn't matter about eventbrite!) or You can join us on ZOOM (ID 384 186 2174 passcode Wawilak).


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Organized by

Camilla Power

For many years Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of East London, Dr. Camilla Power is a feminist activist and founding member of the Radical Anthropology Group at University College London. Trained under Leslie Aiello at UCL, her research is focused on human evolution and the emergence of symbolic culture. Her 'Female Cosmetic Coalitions' (FCC) theory of the origins of art and culture has been widely acclaimed.