|
Transmission of a special cultural
practice: the taboo Jean-Louis Monestes and Jean-Claude Darcheville Université de Lille III, France A parallel between the approach of Cultural Materialism (Harris, 1968) and experimental analysis of behavior has already been established by Glenn (1981, 1988). The two approaches are highly compatible because both use the selectionnist model based on individual's behaviors. Harris' model uses the concept of infrastructural determinism: all human behaviors find their origins in physical parameters of production and reproduction. Harris explains the taboo's phenomenon in this way. We propose another approach of taboos based on one of the media of transmission of behaviors between individuals: rule-governed behaviors. One of the main characteristic of rule-governed behaviors is that they are insensible to physical's environment modifications, (they do not adjust to this modifications). Rule-governed behaviors are controlled by verbal antecedents and social contingencies. Therefore, behaviors that do not fit the environment can survive. The transmission of verbal rules might be responsible for the spread of these misfit behaviors, that is, responsible for taboos. Harris uses an etic approach (studies only behaviors) and doesn't take into account verbal behaviors. We suggest to integrate verbal behavior for the study of behaviors spread among humans. Nevertheless, rules might themselves be dependant of infrastructural parameters. Keywords: culture, taboo, rule-governed behavior, verbal behavior |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|