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Network theory and religious innovation

Network theory and religious innovation
Network theory and religious innovation
Network theory recognizes that ideas and technology are transmitted along social interconnections, and cultural and religious change can be understood as emergent phenomena through analysis of the variability and dynamics of these interconnections. ‘Information cascade’ describes the diffusion of information across a network, providing, when combined with sociological theory of religious conversion, a way of re-approaching the success of the monotheistic ‘innovation’. Instead of viewing success as a measure of inherent merit, using networks means the observed outcomes need not be ‘superior’. This is in conflict with evolutionary theory, and this paper attempts to begin to reconcile these differing approaches.
0951-8967
149-162
Collar, Anna
68e13a75-9b92-4557-aeea-5cd87728cf46
Collar, Anna
68e13a75-9b92-4557-aeea-5cd87728cf46

Collar, Anna (2007) Network theory and religious innovation. Mediterranean Historical Review, 22 (1), 149-162. (doi:10.1080/09518960701539372).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Network theory recognizes that ideas and technology are transmitted along social interconnections, and cultural and religious change can be understood as emergent phenomena through analysis of the variability and dynamics of these interconnections. ‘Information cascade’ describes the diffusion of information across a network, providing, when combined with sociological theory of religious conversion, a way of re-approaching the success of the monotheistic ‘innovation’. Instead of viewing success as a measure of inherent merit, using networks means the observed outcomes need not be ‘superior’. This is in conflict with evolutionary theory, and this paper attempts to begin to reconcile these differing approaches.

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More information

Published date: 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 431766
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/431766
ISSN: 0951-8967
PURE UUID: 4910e39e-765e-47df-9ffa-c0cd86283396
ORCID for Anna Collar: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7274-2674

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Date deposited: 14 Jun 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:39

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