Report on Cultural Anthropology: Rituals, Evolution, and Society

This report delves into cultural anthropology, examining the role of rituals in shaping human behavior and social structures. It analyzes how rituals, often involving physical suffering, serve as tools for creating resilience and fostering social cohesion. The report references the work of Xygalatas and explores the relationship between rituals and human evolution, drawing connections to the book by Muckle and De González. It discusses the evolutionary perspectives on religious beliefs and the impact of cultural practices on different communities. The report concludes by agreeing with the author's conclusion on the significance of rituals and suggesting potential applications of the findings in various fields, highlighting the interplay between physical experiences, social dynamics, and ritualistic practices.

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Cultural Anthropology

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Part 1: Introduction
The report deals with a study that describes the way ceremonies leads to physical sufferings
that are mostly invaluable tools to create pliability as well as coping skills. The article by
Xygalatas (4), reflects on how a group of individuals are dancing, breathing heavily as well
as sweating as they are occupied inside an overcrowded as well as overheated room. The
individuals due to nonstop dancing also started collapsing. According to Xygalatas et al., (3)
an elderly woman suffering from depression has also been a part of a ritual. Under this ritual
she had to dance as well as fire-walk (p:160). The woman later stated that this helped her to
come out of depression. It has also been viewed in the article that devotees make large
portable shrines that are carried by them on their shoulders for longer time period.
Part 2: Article relation to Muckle and Tubelle Gonzalez book
The article shows that how several rituals are carried out in spite of dealing with great risks.
The damages that take place by such rituals ranges from long-lasting exhaustion, piercing as
well as scarring. The book that has been written by Muckle and Tubelle de Gonzalez is
related directly to the topic as it discusses about the way anthropology has led to human
evolution as well as culture over time. The first chapter by Muckle and De González (2), that
is related to the topic is evolution thought and theory. This chapter discusses that how
evolution over the years has been based on religious beliefs. It shows that several scientists as
well as religious leaders has put effort to convince followers to not follow religious path
diligently but hardly anyone paid heed to that (p:250). This is related to the topic that shows
how over the years, Native American Tribes has been performing sun burn ceremony that
ripping the flesh through piercing. According to Muckle and De González (2), the
evolutionary theory has been created by Charles Darwin that shows that most of the religious
performances are based on meticulous consistency as well as rhetorically compelling. The
second chapter that is related to the topic is human cultural evolution from 2.5 million to
20000 years ago (p:115). This chapter is related to developing multiple ways to reconstruct
prehistoric diets. Most of the individuals still believe that hunting animals killed by lions or
other marauders on the savannah would have made some sagacity. It shows that how social
systems that are based on social stratification suggest groups that are mostly egalitarian.
According to Xygalatas (4), Mauritius being a multicultural community still is known to
carry out multiple broad range of religions thus performing large variety of rituals. It has

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identified by the archaeologists that there are several sites that has been destroyed due to
cultural procedures that are followed by multiple places. The third chapter that is related to
the topic is we are primates: the primate background. It shows that how primate evolution has
taken place that has led to diversification over the years. According to Brown (1), the
primates are regarded as the common ancestors of humans who survived almost six million
years ago. It has been established that the religious mind is a form of result that takes place
from a human brain (p:315). It is adequate enough to initiate religious as well as
philosophical thoughts.
Part 3: Conclusion
1. Do you agree with the conclusion?
The conclusion of the author shows that religious rituals are known to initiate imperative
effects at the social level. In other words, participating in religious rituals behaves like a
reminder that deals with continuing membership in a permanent society. The cost
commenced by the practitioner’s turns into an indication of their obligation to the group. This
in turn helps to augment their status within that district and to construct a social support
complex. As a result, the conclusion that has been put forward by the author has been agreed
upon.
2. How could the findings be applied in other areas?
The findings that have been applied in the area reflects that there are two diverse impacts that
are related to physical experience as well as social comments that are received from the
society. It has been established that rituals acts as a substitutes for biomedical inventions. In
other words, most rituals play a considerable role that helps them to deal with resilience. It
has also been established that religious performances are based on meticulous consistency as
well as rhetorically compelling. It has also been established that evolutionary theory has been
created by Charles Darwin that shows that most of the religious performances are based on
meticulous consistency as well as rhetorically compelling.

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References
Brown AE. Reconceiving Decisions at the End of Life in Pediatrics: Decision-Making as a
Form of Ritual. Perspectives in biology and medicine. 2019;62(2):301-18.
Muckle RJ, De González LT. Through the lens of anthropology: an introduction to human
evolution and culture. University of Toronto Press; 2016.
Xygalatas D, Mitkidis P, Fischer R, Reddish P, Skewes J, Geertz AW, Roepstorff A, Bulbulia
J. Extreme rituals promote prosociality. Psychological science. 2013 Aug;24(8):1602-5
Xygalatas. How Rituals of Pain Help Heal. Retrieved from:
https://www.sapiens.org/body/kavadi-ritual-extreme/; 2019.