Publication details
Teorie nákladné signalizace poutnictví : Případová studie na poutnících do Santiago de Compostela
| Title in English | Costly Signaling Theory of Pilgrimage : The case study of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Pilgrimages are ubiquitous across secular and religious cultures. At the same time, substantial costs in terms of resources, time, and energy are associated with undertaking such journeys. The aim of the presentation is to answer the question why pilgrimages exist as a cultural institution. The main argument builds on the Costly signaling theory of religion, which suggests that religious people honestly signal their commitment to the system of beliefs and values by participating in costly rituals mandated by the specific religious tradition. Pilgrimage will be approached as one of the factors contributing to group living based on cooperation and trust. To support my theorizing, I will report results of several studies with pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. I show that costs such as effort and discomfort resonate among pilgrims and play a role in constructing pilgrims’ identities. Moreover, three online experiments with the Spanish population suggest that pilgrims are perceived as more trustworthy than non-pilgrims and long-distance pilgrims more than short-distance pilgrims which supports the argument about costly signaling. |
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