COMPLEXITY aims to explore how political complexity can evolve from small, cooperative groups. The project challenges the common belief that nomadic empires only formed due to contact with agricultural neighbours. Instead, it investigates how pastoralists, organised in small herding groups, developed into complex societies capable of conquering their neighbours.
The context of this research is rooted in the historical and anthropological study of nomadic societies. Traditionally, nomadic empires have been viewed as "shadow empires" that developed in response to the sophistication of neighbouring sedentary populations. This perspective, however, does not explain how pastoralists transitioned from small, kin-based cooperative herding groups to complex hierarchical groups with the power to conquer their sedentary neighbours. The project seeks to fill this gap by examining cooperative herding groups across different cultures and environments.
The overall objectives of the project are threefold. First, it aims to cross-culturally document the prevalence of cooperative herding groups by reviewing ethnographic material pertaining to nomadic pastoralists. Second, it will investigate how pastoral cooperation is structured by evolutionary factors such as kinship, reciprocity, social network structure, and norms. This will be done through a pluralistic methodology, including experimental economic games, observations, and interviews. Third, the project will combine empirical data with modelling techniques to investigate whether cooperative herding groups can be considered prototypes for more complex organisations.
Furthermore, the project will enhance our understanding of the evolution of political complexity and cooperation in human societies. It will challenge existing theories and provide new perspectives on the development of nomadic empires. The research will also contribute to the broader field of human cooperation by examining the factors that influence cooperation in small-scale societies. This will have implications for understanding the evolution of cooperation in other contexts, such as modern organisations and communities.
