Exploring the Cultural Evolution of Religion Employing a Large-Scale, Quantitative-Qualitative Historical Database

The Database of Religious History (DRH) is a quantitative/qualitative database of religious and cultural history. Over the proposed grant period, we intend to establish ourselves as an indispensable tool for humanities scholars, scientists, teachers and the general public. As a clearinghouse for digital data related to the cultural evolution of religion, and a repository of scholarly opinion, the DRH will allow humanities scholars to explore patterns of historical change or quickly assess scholarly consensus. Scientists interested in cultural evolution will be drawn by the high-quality, clearly-sourced dataset and built-in analytic tools. We will also forge dynamic ties with other online digital historical projects and serve as a general-purpose platform for other research groups modeling cultural evolution. Continuing with our expert-centered model, we will deploy our outreach resources more systematically, while also employing a sufficiently-large postdoctoral team to guarantee a representative and valuable dataset of 8-10 world cultures by the end of the grant period. Long-term commitment from UBC, along with a formal governance structure, will ensure that our project remains an important and constantly-growing resource for the foreseeable future.