Storie, religioni e capi sanguinari. Riflessioni sull’opus magnum di Robert N. Bellah

The first and last sections of the paper narrate stories about the origins and long-term plan of Robert N. Bellah’s Religion in Human Evolution (RHE). The excursus is an illustration of the explicative power of RHE which focuses on the emergence of domination in the shift from tribal societies to chiefdoms. Bellah’s explanation is compared with two other influential explanations of the rise of organized political power. Gianfranco Miglio has explained the rise of political power and chiefs in a mostly individualistic and ethological way: starting from big game hunting, hierarchic relationships emerge almost naturally from intrinsic differences between individuals (strength, charisma, skills). Michael Mann introduces «ideological power», that is the power to create and diffuse definitions of the situation, but only indicates material and technological factors to explain the rise of political power and early «states». On its part, Bellah’s interpretation puts religion under the spotlight without sacrificing material factors.