Long live: Immortality and prosociality at the Eras Tour
Abstract
Cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker theorized that individuals cope with their fear of death by investing in cultural institutions as a way to attain symbolic immortality. Becker primarily focused on male-dominated institutions, which empirical research from his idea’s echoes. The current research addresses this gap in present literature by examining symbolic immortality in the context of a female dominated institution—Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The study will compare data from participants who did not attend the Eras Tour recently with previously collected data from participants who completed the survey directly before or after attending Swift’s shows in Vancouver and/or Toronto.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
David Conner
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Psychological Science
Primary Research Category
Social Science
Long live: Immortality and prosociality at the Eras Tour
Cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker theorized that individuals cope with their fear of death by investing in cultural institutions as a way to attain symbolic immortality. Becker primarily focused on male-dominated institutions, which empirical research from his idea’s echoes. The current research addresses this gap in present literature by examining symbolic immortality in the context of a female dominated institution—Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The study will compare data from participants who did not attend the Eras Tour recently with previously collected data from participants who completed the survey directly before or after attending Swift’s shows in Vancouver and/or Toronto.
