Manvir Singh

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Study, Toulouse

Manvir Singh is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. He is interested in the origins of universal or near-universal cultural practices, including music, marriage, shamanism and witchcraft.

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Written by Manvir Singh

Illustration of an African village with thatched huts, people gathered around a fire, and a scenic mountainous background.

essayAnthropology

Primitive communism

Marx’s idea that societies were naturally egalitarian and communal before farming is widely influential and quite wrong

Manvir Singh

Silhouette of a shepherd with goats at sunset, with a clear gradient from orange to dark purple sky.

essayAnthropology

Beyond the !Kung

A grand research project created our origin myth that early human societies were all egalitarian, mobile and small-scale

Manvir Singh

A group of young men and women outdoors, socialising and smiling, some holding drinks, some embracing, with a white house in the background.

essayLove and friendship

Is marriage over?

Marriage is practised in every society yet is in steep decline globally. Is this it for longterm intimate relationships?

Manvir Singh

Painting of a tense scene between a young boy and an older man holding a gun, featuring dramatic lighting and expressions.

essayStories and literature

Orphans and their quests

The sympathetic plot is a type of story, rich in tropes, that is universal to human cultures. With one big twist…

Manvir Singh