For ages, we've pictured our ancestors as living in small, equal societies, sharing everything around campfires without bosses. Think of popular ideas like the "noble savage" or "primitive communism." But what if that picture is wrong? New research in this century challenges these old ideas, suggesting our deep past was far more diverse than we ever imagined. So, what was social life really like for our ancestors? How does this new understanding reshape what we know about human cognition and culture? Are there any true human universals? Today’s guest is the person to answer these questions, or at least some of them..

He is Manvir Singh. Manvir is an assistant professor at the department of anthropology at the University of California, Davis. His research program investigates human behavior, focusing on the origins and nature of widespread sociocultural traditions like shamanism, witchcraft, storytelling, and music. He achieves this by integrating evolutionary, cognitive, and sociocultural methods and theories within his research group. Previously, he pursued a PhD in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, post-which he was a research fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study in Toulouse. He's also a contributor to The New Yorker and has just had a book come out: Shamanism - The Timeless Religion.

Media Recommendations:

1. Shamanism: The Timeless Religion
2. Boiling Energy: Community Healing Among the Kalahari !Kung
3. The Falling Sky
4. The Catalpa Bow
5. The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers: The Foraging Spectrum

Credits:

Interview: Tanay Katiyar and Jay Richardson

Editing: Tanay Katiyar

Communication: Tanay Katiyar

Music: Thelma Samuel and Robin Baradel

Artwork: Ella Bergru

This episode is sponsored by the ⁠The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA)