Næss Lab

Research focus

ERC Consolidator Grant · 2021

From small-scale cooperative herding groups to nomadic empires – a cross-cultural approach

The main question of this research project is: can political complexity evolve from small-scale cooperative groups? The predominant view of nomadic empires – that they are caused by contact with agricultural neighbours – cannot explain how pastoralists transitioned from small, kin-based cooperative herding groups to complex hierarchical groups with the power to conquer their sedentary neighbours. By perceiving cooperative herding groups as the building blocks of nomadic societies, this project aims to develop a theoretical explanation of pastoral political organisation ranging from acephalous societies in Africa to imperial confederations in Inner Asia. While cooperative herding has been…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.