Work

The emergence of a new pilgrimage as an assurance game

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Pilgrimage has received long-standing scholarly attention, but most theoretical work focuses on how these rituals can be maintained, rather than the bigger puzzle of how they emerge. Using empirical inspiration from a new pilgrimage in Peru, we address this gap by outlining a theoretical framework more capable of accounting for how these phenomena get off the ground. We contend that the framework of an assurance game (a type of coordination game) captures the challenge of a collective ritual like pilgrimage emerging. By combining this assurance game with a model of Bayesian learning under uncertainty we illustrate how pilgrimage can be institutionalized on occasion. We further argue that our approach sheds light on the relationship between rituals and uncertainty, without having to make strong assumptions about individuals' psychological needs.

Source: Royal Society Open Science

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.250077

Authors: Nicolas Restrepo Ochoa, Cristina Moya

Institution: University of California, Davis

Language: English

Topic: Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,471

Funder: John Templeton Foundation