Aarhus University expedition attracts interest of Mauritian government
MINDLab and Religion, Cognition and Culture (RCC) researchers met with Mauritian Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology.
22.02.2012
MINDLab-RCC researchers Dimitris Xygalatas and Panos Mitkidis were received by Dr. Rajesh Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology.
Visiting the Minister
MINDLab and Religion, Cognition and Culture (RCC) researchers Dimitris Xygalatas and Panos Mitkidis visited Dr. Rajesh Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology during their recent expedition to Mauritius. The Minister was informed about the project on Ritual and Prosociality recently conducted in Mauritius by researchers from AU, Victoria University New Zealand, and Masaryk University, Czech Republic. This project is part of Dimitris Xygalatas’ research on “Extreme Rituals”, funded by the Velux core research group Technologies of the Mind.
Prospect of a wider research collaboration
As with earlier projects concerning firewalking rituals in Spain and the Tamil Thaipoosam ritual in Mauritius, this project has once more brought innovative methods in the study of religion and in anthropology, combining ethnographic and experimental techniques from various disciplines to explore the relation between ritual and prosocial behaviour. The Minister showed great interest in the current activities conducted by AU researchers, as well as in the prospect of a wider research collaboration between AU and the Mauritian government. The AU delegates also met with Dr. Arjoon Suddhoo, Director of the Mauritius Research Council, to discuss more concrete ways of strengthening the bonds between Aarhus University and the local educational and research authorities.
