The Impact of the Prehistoric Out-of-Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity

Oded Galor, Marc Klemp and Daniel Wainstock

No 18158, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Evidence suggests that the prehistoric out-of-Africa migration has impacted the degree of intra-population genetic and phenotypic diversity across the globe. This paper provides the first evidence that this migration has shaped cultural diversity. Leveraging a folklore catalogue of 958 oral traditions across the world, we find that ethnic groups further away from Africa along the migratory routes have lower folkloric diversity. This pattern is consistent with the compression of genetic, phenotypic, and phonemic traits along the out-of-Africa migration routes, setting conditions for the emergence and proliferation of differential cultural diversity and economic development across the world.

Keywords: Diversity; Culture; Folklore (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O10 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-05
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Related works:
Working Paper: The Impact of the Prehistoric Out-of-Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity (2023)
Working Paper: The Impact of the Prehistoric Out-of-Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity (2023)
Working Paper: The Impact of the Prehistoric Out of Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity (2023)
Working Paper: The Impact of the Prehistoric Out of Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity (2023)
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