John Comaroff
John & Jean Comaroff discuss the phenomenon of "Ethnicity, Inc."
April 30, 2010
Listen to the podcast from BBC 4's "Thinking Allowed" program, broadcast Februay 8, 2010.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qcjwn (Comaroff segment begins at 12.40)
Ethno-theme parks, Native American casinos and Kalahari bushmen attempting to reap profits from pharmaceutical companies using their traditional medicinal plants: all modern examples of how ethnic identity has become a commodity in today's global market place. John and Jean Comaroff explore how communities sell their traditional culture in their new book, Ethnicity Inc. They tell Laurie Taylor about the effect it has on indigenous cultures, and how selling your identity can be both empowering and impoverishing.