Meet the Natives

Writer: Dr Luke Freeman

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Meet the Natives

Left to right: Joel and Albi – image from the programme Channel 4

Anthropology shows how important it is not to believe uninformed judgements of cultures, but to go beyond superficial perceptions. In doing this we appreciate that other cultures can open our eyes to new and exciting insights.

While Meet the Natives claims to offer a fresh perspective on the English it is actually about highlighting the difficulties the South Sea islanders have in adapting to life in England. Much is made of their belief that Prince Philip is a God, but little effort is made to understand what a God is for them. Might it not be that the islanders' relationship with Prince Philip is a sophisticated commentary on their relationship to the former colonial power he represents and a claim on the abundant wealth that his nation possesses?

Superficial exoticising of other peoples' cultures makes good television but does it offer really profound insights into the complexity of the human condition? Discuss on the forum >

Dr Luke Freeman is Lecturer in Anthropology at University College London. He is one of the contributors to Questions of Anthropology (Berg Publishers, 2007: ISBN 9781845207489), which uses an anthropological approach to answer some universal human questions, such as 'Why are some people powerful?' and 'What kind of sex makes people happy?'.

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