Conflicts between groups are deeply rooted in our society, but we also have the capacity to get along with our neighbours and ally for a common goal.

Using evolutionary theory as a navigational guide, Dr Cyril C. Grueter draws on his research on the social organisation of our primate relatives to explore the origins of tolerance in human sociality.

Dr Cyril Grueter is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Human Sciences and the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA. He’s conducted research on the behaviour and ecology of chimpanzees and gorillas in Rwanda and snub-nosed monkeys in China.

References
Alexander, R.D. (1990). How did humans evolve? Reflections on the uniquely unique species. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan
Chapais, B. (2008). Primeval kinship: How pair-bonding gave birth to human society. Harvard University Press.
Fry, D. P. (2007). Beyond war: The human potential for peace. Oxford University Press.
Grueter, C., & Van Schaik, C. P. (2009). Evolutionary determinants of modular societies in colobines. Behavioral Ecology, 21, 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arp149
Grueter, C., Isler, K., & Dixson, BJ. (2015). Are badges of status adaptive in large complex primate groups? Evolution and Human Behavior, 36, 398-406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2015.03.003
Grueter, C. C., Qi, X., Li, B., & Li, M. (2017). Multilevel societies. Current Biology, 27(18), R984-R986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.063
Grueter, C. C., Qi, X., Zinner, D., Bergman, T., Li, M., Xiang, Z., Zhu, P., Migliano, A. B., Miller, A., Krützen, M., Fischer, J., Rubenstein, D. I., Vidya, T., Li, B., Cantor, M., & Swedell, L. (2020). Multilevel Organisation of Animal Sociality. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, S0169-5347(20)30133-6. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.003
Grueter, C. C., Westlake, G., & Coall, D. (2020). Absence of intergroup discrimination in a naturalistic helping task. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000195
Mirville, M. O., Ridley, A. R., Samedi, J. P. M., Vecellio, V., Ndagijimana, F., Stoinski, T. S., & Grueter, C. C. (2018). Low familiarity and similar ‘group strength’ between opponents increase the intensity of intergroup interactions in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 72(11), [178]. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2592-5
Mirville, M. O., Ridley, A. R., Samedi, J. P. M., Vecellio, V., Ndagijimana, F., Stoinski, T. S., & Grueter, C. C. (2018). Factors influencing individual participation during intergroup interactions in mountain gorillas. Animal Behaviour, 144, 75-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.08.003
Xiang, Z-F., Yang, B-H., Yu, Y., Yao, H., Grueter, C., Garber, PA., & Li, M. (2014). Males collectively defend their one-male units against bachelor males in a multi-level primate society. American Journal of Primatology, 76, 609-617. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22254