Cognitive and evolutionary inspirations in the study of religion with emphasis on the development of ethnology and sociocultural anthropology in Slovakia

Uhrin, Michal (author)

The cognitive and evolutionary approach to the research of religion in cultural and social anthropolog y has been systematically developing since the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century. At the end of the 1990s, cognitive and evolutionary theories of religion began to be applied in the research of religion by a narrow group of ethnologists, religionists, and anthropologists in Slovakia. This paper aims to provide a basic overview of the fundamental concepts of cognitive and evolutionary anthropology of religion. It focuses on selected scholars whose works and ideas are considered pivotal in the development of this field. The second objective is to outline how cognitive and evolutionary theories of religion have been reflected in ethnology and sociocultural anthropology in Slovakia.

• Language: English
• Keywords: religion, ritual, cognitive science, evolutionary science, Slovakia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.07.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 23 str.
• Numbering: Letn. 2, št. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-187188
• UDC: 2:39
• ISSN on article: 2820-6088
• DOI: 10.4312/svetovi.2.2.46-68
• COBISS.SI-ID: 204176131
• Publication date in RUL: 09.09.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Svetovi
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2820-6088
• COBISS.SI-ID: 148550403

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
• Description: A Creative Commons license that bans commercial use and requires the user to release any modified works under this license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Spoznavni in evolucijski navdihi pri študiju religije s poudarkom na razvoju etnologije in sociokulturne antropologije na Slovaškem

Abstract

V socialni in kulturni antropologiji se kognitivni in evolucijski pristop do raziskovanja religij sistematično razvija od devetdesetih let 20. stoletja in prvega desetletja 21. stoletja. Ozka skupina etnologov, religiologov in antropologov je na Slovaškem ob koncu devetdesetih let začela uporabljati kognitivne in evolucijske teorije religije pri raziskovanju religije. Namen tega prispevka je podati pregled temeljnih konceptov kognitivne in evolucijske antropologije religije. Osredotoča se na dela in ideje strokovnjakov, ki veljajo za ključna pri razvoju tega področja. Drugi cilj prispevka je predstaviti, kako se kognitivne in evolucijske teorije religije odražajo v etnologiji in socialni in kulturni antropologiji na Slovaškem.

• Keywords: antropologija religije, religija, temeljni koncepti, kognitivni pristop, evolucijski pristop, rituali, Slovaška