Doctoral thesis on nonkilling restraint mechanisms defended in Åbo Akademi University

A thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Social Sciences) on the topic “Verbal and Non-verbal Communication as Evolutionary Restraint Mechanisms for Nonkilling Conflict Management” was defended in a public disputation at Åbo Akademi University, Vasa, Finland, on March 15, by CGNK Director Joám Evans Pim. The dissertation uses a nonkilling approach to explore mechanisms for rule-based ritualized restraint such as song duel display contests or mark-making practices related to territory.

Prof. Piero P. Giorgi (University of Otago) acted as Opponent in a thesis that was supervised by Prof. Douglas P. Fry (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Prof. Kaj Björkqvist (Åbo Akademi University). During the Disputation, Evans defended the role of restraint mechanisms for the prevention of potentially lethal aggression as an evolutionary driver for the development and complexification of hominin communicative abilities, including articulated language and symbolic cultural practices.

The “kappa” (introduction) of the dissertation is available for free download at the National Library of Finland Doria archive. The dissertation also incorporates three academic articles: “Preventing violence through hip hop: an evolutionary perspective” (Journal of Peace Education), “Writing and reading ourselved out of trouble: evolutionary insights on non-linguistic marking systems” (Egyptologische Uitgaven) and “Man the Singer: Song Duels as an Aggression Restraint Mechanism for Nonkilling Conflict Management” (War, Peace, and Human Nature: The Convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views).