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Cultural extinction in evolutionary perspective.

Hanzhi Zhang1, Ruth Mace1

  • 1Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cultural diversity is rapidly declining, with 90% of languages at risk of extinction this century. This study proposes a framework to analyze cultural extinction, distinct from biological extinction.

Keywords:
Cultural extinctioncultural diversityfrequency-dependent selectionhuman behavioural ecologyphylogenetic comparative method

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Cultural Evolution Studies
  • Sociolinguistics

Background:

  • Cultural diversity is diminishing at an alarming rate, with significant implications for global heritage.
  • Mass cultural extinction events are linked to major societal shifts like agriculture and colonization.
  • Projected language extinction rates highlight the urgency of understanding cultural loss.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose an analytical framework for examining the phenomenon of cultural extinction.
  • To differentiate cultural extinction from biological extinction, emphasizing social and behavioral aspects.
  • To explore evolutionary approaches for studying the dynamics of cultural diversity loss and emergence.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a phylogenetic comparative framework for long-term (millennia) cultural trait and institution extinction analysis, incorporating archaeological data.
  • Employing a behavioral ecology framework for short-term (decades/centuries) cultural extinction studies, focusing on fitness consequences and population dynamics.
  • Reviewing recent evolutionary studies on cultural extinction processes.

Main Results:

  • Cultural extinction involves the disintegration of social entities and discontinuation of culture-specific behaviors, not necessarily genetic extinction.
  • Frequency-dependent costs and benefits are identified as crucial factors in both the origin and loss of cultural diversity.
  • Evolutionary frameworks offer robust methods for analyzing cultural extinction dynamics across different timescales.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed analytical framework provides a robust approach to studying cultural extinction across various temporal scales.
  • Understanding the evolutionary drivers, including frequency-dependent selection, is essential for addressing the loss of cultural diversity.
  • Future research should continue to explore evolutionary perspectives to better comprehend and potentially mitigate cultural extinction.