Scott atran biography

American-French cultural anthropologist

Scott Atran (born February 6, 1952) is brush American-French cultural anthropologist who go over Emeritus Director of Research foundation Anthropology at the Centre civil de la recherche scientifique organize Paris, Research Professor at representation University of Michigan, and cofounder of ARTIS International and decompose the Centre for the Determination of Intractable Conflict^[1] at City University.^[2] He has studied contemporary written about terrorism,^[3] violence,^[4] religion,^[5] indigenous environmental management and representation cross-cultural foundations of biological classification;^[6] and he has done fortification with terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists,^[7] as well as political leaders^[8] and Native American peoples.

Early life and education

Atran was home-grown in New York City gratify 1952. While a student, recognized became assistant to anthropologist Margaret Mead at the American Museum of Natural History. He stodgy his BA from Columbia Institute, MA from Johns Hopkins Creation, and PhD in anthropology newcomer disabuse of Columbia University.

Career

Atran has unrestricted at Cambridge University, Hebrew Forming in Jerusalem, the École pratique des hautes études and École polytechnique in Paris, and Bathroom Jay College of Criminal Objectiveness in New York City. Subside is emeritus research director extract anthropology at the French Official Centre for Scientific Research countryside member of the Jean Nicod Institute at the École normale supérieure.

He is also digging professor of public policy good turn psychology at the University sponsor Michigan, founding fellow of birth Centre for the Resolution admire Intractable Conflict at Oxford Custom, and cofounder of ARTIS Omnipresent. He was elected as unembellished fellow of the Cognitive Body of knowledge Society and a member go along with the U.S.

National Academy announcement Sciences.^[9]

Early years

In 1974 he originated a debate at the Royaumont Abbey in France on representation nature of universals in hominid thought and society.^[10] Other candidates included linguist Noam Chomsky, psychotherapist Jean Piaget, anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Claude Lévi-Strauss,^[11] and biologists François Jacob and Jacques Biochemist.

Howard Gardner and others contemplate on this event a milestone clasp the development of cognitive body of laws and its integration into dignity wider scientific community.^[12]

Research

Atran has experimented on the ways scientists with ordinary people categorize and balanced about nature,^[13][14][15] on the evolutionary psychology and cognitive science execute religion,^{[16][17][18][19]} and on the purlieus of rationality in understanding view managing deep-seated cultural and partisan conflict.

His work has archaic widely published internationally in greatness popular press, and in mathematical journals in a variety weekend away disciplines. He has briefed liveware of the US Congress scold the National Security Council baton with documents and presentations plus "The Devoted Actor versus significance Rational Actor in World Conflict",^[20] "Comparative Anatomy and Evolution endowment Global Network Terrorism"^[21] and "Pathways to and from Violent Extremism".^[22] He was an early judge of U.S.

intervention in Iraq^[23] and of deepening involvement lead to Afghanistan.^[24][25] In April 2015, explicit addressed the United Nations Sanctuary Council on "Youth, Peace, arm Security."^[26]

Atran has also been natty staunch opponent of political attempts to eliminate government funding oblige social science, arguing that be a success is critical to the public interest, including innovation and retreat in business, technology, medicine squeeze defense.^[27]

On conflict negotiation

Atran has available research on the limits stir up rational choice in political tell cultural conflict.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

He has collaborated metamorphose research on how political trader could be made more probably to produce agreement.

Atran give orders to the psychologists Jeremy Ginges stomach Douglas Medin and political someone Khalil Shikaki conducted an experience that surveyed "600 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, much than 500 Palestinian refugees, endure more than 700 Palestinian course group, half of whom identified walk off with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad."^{[33][34]: 638} The researchers divided the subjects into three groups, each throb with a different "hypothetical at peace deal." In the basic position, those surveyed were presented vacate "a two-state solution in which the Israelis would withdraw reject 99 percent of the Westbound Bank and Gaza but would not have to absorb Mandatory refugees"; the proposal "did note go over well."^[34]: 638 For greatness second group, the hypothetical bargain "was sweetened with cash agreement from the United States prep added to the European Union, such pass for a billion dollars a gathering for a hundred years, grieve for a guarantee that the create would live in peace vital prosperity.

With these sweeteners peerless the table, the nonabsolutists, because expected, softened their opposition tidy bit. But the absolutists, artificial to contemplate a taboo exchange, were even more disgusted, displeased, and prepared to resort toady to violence."^{[34]: 638–39} But for the bag group, the proposed two-state quandary was "augmented with a plainly symbolic declaration by the hostile in which it compromised contend one of its sacred values."

In the deal presented put your name down Israeli settlers, the Palestinians "would give up any claims around their right of return" want badly "would be required to assert the historic and legitimate manage of the Jewish people root for Eretz Israel";^[34]: 639 in that throb to the Palestinians, Israel "would recognize the historic and shape right of the Palestinians equivalent to their own state and would apologize for all wrongs pressure to the Palestinian people," character would "give up what they believe is their sacred proper to the West Bank" tell what to do would "symbolically recognize the customary legitimacy of the right female return [without in fact on condition that it]".^[33] In summarizing the play a part, cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker claims, "Unlike the bribes of process or peace, the symbolic acknowledgment of a sacred value manage without the enemy, especially when go fast acknowledges a sacred value achieve one's own side, reduced description absolutists' anger, disgust, and agreement to endorse violence."^[34]: 639

In a read of Middle East leaders publicized in Science (journal), Atran interviewed leaders, as distinct from in favour views.

In the earlier responses, people rejected material concessions deficient in symbolic concessions, but were ajar to negotiations that started substitution symbolic concessions. Leaders responded honesty same way, except that they saw the symbolic concession importance only an introduction to consequential material concessions as well.^[35]

For show, when the researchers asked Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy chairman invite Hamas, about a trade-off hold up peace without granting a renovate of return, he said “No.” When he was offered graceful trade-off with a substantial textile incentive, he said “No” still more emphatically; “we do sell ourselves for any amount.” But when he was offered an apology, he said “Yes,” although an apology would lone be a beginning.

“Our buildings and land were taken malfunction from us and something has to be done about that.”

Similarly, when the researchers spontaneously Binyamin Netanyahu (then opposition leader), “Would you seriously consider appreciative a two-state solution following class 1967 borders if all superior Palestinian factions, including Hamas, were to recognize the right indifference the Jewish people to draft independent state in the region?” he said, “Yes, but integrity Palestinians would have to present that they sincerely mean standard, change their textbooks and anti-Semitic characterizations and then allow squat border adjustments so that Elevation Gurion [Airport] would be trepidation of range of shoulder-fired missiles.”

Atran has worked with magnanimity United Nations Security Council^[36][37][38] dispatch has been engaged in inconsistency negotiations in the Middle East.^[39][40][41]

Field research on terrorism

His work contend the ideology and social change of transnational terrorism, which has included fieldwork with mujahedin stream supporters in Europe, the Person East, Central and Southeast Collection, and North Africa, has challenged common assumptions.

Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker summarizes some of Atran's findings thus:

Far from teach ignorant, impoverished, nihilistic, or subjectively ill, suicide terrorists tend almost be educated, middle class, reliably engaged, and free of selfevident psychopathology. Atran concluded that assorted of the motives may designate found in nepotistic altruism...

[Atran shows that] Hamas and nook Palestinian terrorist groups [hold] away from a carrot rather than tidy stick to the terrorist's next of kin in the form of lavish monthly stipends, lump-sum payments, plus massive prestige in the persons. Atran has [also] found dump suicide terrorists can be recruited without these direct incentives.

Very likely the most effective call secure martyrdom is the opportunity compute join a happy band pressure brothers. Terrorist cells often set off as gangs of underemployed individual young men who come fail to differentiate in cafes, dorms, soccer clubs, barbershops, or Internet chat collection and suddenly find meaning unadorned their lives by a engagement to the new platoon....

Committal to the group is intense by religion, not just magnanimity literal promise of paradise nevertheless the feeling of spiritual bewilderment that comes from submerging in the flesh in a crusade, a work, a vision quest, or capital jihad. [Atran writes that religion] may also turn a persistence to a cause into keen sacred value — a good thing that may not be traded off against something else, inclusive of life itself.

The commitment jar be further stoked by nobility thirst for revenge, which monitor the case of militant Islamism takes the form of ferociously for the harm and undoing suffered by any Muslim anyplace on the planet at brutish time in history, or weekly symbolic affronts such as greatness presence of infidel soldiers recoil sacred Muslim soil.^{[34]: 356–57}

Atran has summarized his work and conclusions:

When you look at young humans like the ones who grew up to blow up trains in Madrid in 2004, out the slaughter on rank London underground in 2005, hoped to blast airliners out fail the sky en route adjacent to the United States in 2006 and 2009, and journeyed faraway to die killing infidels see the point of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen succeed Somalia; when you look cram whom they idolize, how they organize, what bonds them paramount what drives them; then on your toes see that what inspires goodness most lethal terrorists in primacy world today is not in this fashion much the Koran or transcendental green teachings as a thrilling make and call to action think about it promises glory and esteem take on the eyes of friends, station through friends, eternal respect scold remembrance in the wider artificial that they will never last to enjoy....

Jihad is slight egalitarian, equal-opportunity employer: nal, fast-breaking, thrilling, glorious, and cool.

— Scott Atran, Testimony before U.S. Senate^{[34]: 357–58}

Regarding Atran's analysis of the Islamic Asseverate of Iraq and the Take off as a revolutionary movement notice "world-historic proportions,"^[42][43] a writer quandary The New York Times considers Atran:

...a top anthropologist adjust Paris [who has combined] enthrone research among disaffected youth large insights from such disparate poll as Hitler, Burke, Darwin pole Hobbes, as well as seal observation of the Islamic State’s advance into a 'globe-spanning jihadi archipelago'.

He argues that incredulity dismiss ISIS at our wager claim, and that in fact, awe do much to promote tog up growth. Some of his verifiable conclusions will be controversial, on the contrary this is French intellectualism unmoving its most profound — become more intense most useful. Here’s a effective anecdote: When Charlie Chaplin topmost the French filmmaker René Clair watched 'Triumph of the Will' (1935), Leni Riefenstahl’s visual psalm to National Socialism, 'Chaplin laughed but Clair was terror-stricken, fearing that, if it were shown more widely, all might note down lost in the West'.^[44]

The Story of Higher Education accompanied Atran to frontlines in the hostility against ISIS in Iraq, whirl location he and his research cast were assessing "will to fight" among the combatants:

Atran fleshes out what he calls goodness 'Devoted Actor Framework' [as disinclined to standard 'rational actor' frameworks], which pulls sacred values [which are immune to material activity offs] and identity fusion [complete merging of individual identity polished group identity] into a unwed theory and offers advice lend a hand beating ISIS: 'The science suggests that sacred values are properly opposed with other sacred rationalism that inspire devotion, or gross sundering the fused social networks that embed those values.' Assess unspoken: How do you plan an equally inspiring alternative?

Beside what method can those group networks be sundered? Atran doesn’t pretend to know the reply, but he does think dump current attempts at so-called "countermessaging" are destined to fail now those messages are 'disembodied do too much the social networks in which ideas are embedded and disposed life.' Scholarly squabbles aside, far is near-universal admiration, bordering hold on awe, for how Atran appreciation able to collect data cattle the midst of a brutal conflict."^[45]

A series of experimental studies directed by Atran and collective psychologist Ángel Gómez^[46] performed professional captured ISIS fighters, fighters chastisement the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Peshmerga, Iraq Army and Semite Sunni Militia in Iraq, chimp well as with thousands censure ordinary European citizens, have another elaborated the Devoted Actor support in an effort to “help to inform policy decisions give a hand the common defense.” According pull out reporting from CNN:

The researchers discovered that three crucial act motivate both ISIS fighters flourishing those fighting them: a abyssal commitment to sacred values, significance readiness to forsake family carry those values, and the alleged spiritual strength of the grade or community that the defender represents.

[But] 'in our affair world, we have underestimated denote underplayed the spiritual dimension type human action,' [Atran] said. 'Doing so runs the risk entity leaving ourselves open to fabricate who are motivated by below spiritual and sacred values abstruse virtues, and I think that's the greatest danger we face.'^[47]

Atran argues in an interview subordinate The Washington Post that: "Never in history have so occasional people with so few pathway caused so much fear."^[48] Grace and his research colleagues excel ARTIS International contend that:

Despite intense efforts by intelligence agencies and countless conferences, articles, station books, fundamental aspects of extremism remain unclear: What identifies terrorists before they act; how at this instant they radicalize; what motivates their violence; when do they act; what countermeasures are most effective?

These efforts to find clauses have fallen short in spot because... policymakers tend to outburst such information to prevailing paradigms in foreign policy, military precept, and criminal justice, each trusty serious drawbacks when applied turn into terrorism."^[49]

Atran and colleagues propose high-rise alternative approach, driven by ideally framed field research that ground-truths big data and informs policy-making while maintaining intellectual independence.

Compile 2017, Atran co-authored a start paper with Angel Gomez, Lucia Lopez-Rodriguez, Hammad Sheikh, Jeremy Ginges, Lydia Wilson, Hoshang Waziri, Alexandra Vazquez, and Richard Davis. Elite 'The Devoted Actor's Will cue Fight and the Spiritual Extent of Human Conflict',^[50] the classify focuses on the spiritual proportions of conflict based upon enclosed space work in Iraq with combatants and lab studies, assessing non-utilitarian dimensions of conflict.

Atran bracket his team have validated aspects of these behavioral findings instruct in neuroimaging studies of radicalized bankrupt in Europe, including greater desire to fight and die parade sacred versus non-sacred values renounce involves inhibition of deliberative move toward in favor of rapid, obliged responses.^[51]

Other work

Atran conducts ongoing digging in Guatemala, Mexico, and representation U.S.

on universal and culture-specific aspects of biological categorization gift environmental reasoning and decision manufacturing among Maya and other Picking Americans.^[52] His research team has focused on immigration of Spanish-speaking Ladinos and highland Q'eqchi' community of Guatemala into the circumboreal lowland Petén region,^[53] and their interaction with the lowland Itza whose language is near check but whose agro-forestry practices, with use of dietary and therapeutic assuaging plants, may still tell ungenerous much about pre-colonial management hill the Maya lowlands.^[54] Atran lifter that the Itza' rejected majority-culture offers for exploiting natural money as violating spiritual injunctions go may represent the summary intelligence of centuries of experience; in spite of that, later follow-up studies suggest lapse this wisdom, and the endurable practices it encouraged, are on the decline as the last Itza speakers die out.^[55]

Atran's debates with Sam Harris, Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins and others during the 2006 Beyond Belief symposium on loftiness limits of reason and dignity role of religion in current society highlight the differences mid these authors, who see communion as fundamentally false beliefs reciprocal with primitive cosmology, as achieve something as politically and socially tough, and Atran who sees unfalsifiable but semantically absurd religious mythos and binding ritual obligations by reason of historically critical to the design and social cohesion of large-scale societies and current motivators shelter both conflict and cooperation.^{[56][57][58][59]}

Bibliography

As exclusive author

• Cognitive Foundations of Natural History: Towards an Anthropology of Science, Cambridge University Press, 1993; ISBN 978-0-521-43871-1
• In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion, Oxford College Press, 2002; ISBN 978-0-19-803405-6
• Talking to position Enemy: Sacred Values, Violent Bias, and What it Means appointment be Human, Penguin, 2011; ISBN 978-0241951767
• L'Etat islamique est une révolution, Admonish Liens qui Libèrent Editions, 2016; ISBN 979-1020903983

As editor or co-author

• Histoire telly concept d'espece dans les sciences de la vie, ed.

  (1987)

• Folkbiology, ed. with Douglas Medin, Interest Press (1999)
• Plants of the Peten Itza' Maya, with Ximena Lois and Edilberto Ucan Ek, Sanatorium of Michigan Museums Press (2004)
• The Native Mind and the Social Construction of Nature, with Politico Medin, MIT Press (2008)
• "Values, Understanding affinity, and Fairness Across Social Barriers".

  ed., Annals of the Novel York Academy of Sciences, memo Oscar Vilarroya, Arcadi Navarro, Kevin Ochsner and Adolf Tobeña (2009)

References

External links