Roger Sandall
Encyclopedia
Roger Sandall is an essayist and commentator on cultural relativism
and is best known as the author of The Culture Cult. He was born in Christchurch
, New Zealand, in 1933 but has spent most of his career in Australia. He became a film director at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in 1965 and subsequently a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney
in 1973, a post he held until he retired in 1993.
Sandall is a strong critic of romantic primitivism
and the concept of the noble savage
; he is an advocate of modern civilization
. In Sandall's view, romantic primitivism places far too high a value on cultures that were often characterised by, among other aspects, limited human rights, religious intolerance, disease and poverty. Other negative aspects he discusses include domestic oppression (usually of women and children), violence, clan/tribal warfare, poor care of the environment and considerable restriction on artistic freedom of expression.
) who constructed an idyllic but imaginary past for tribal cultures. Designer tribalism is the end result of a process where primitive ways of life (e.g. human sacrifice and clan warfare) become forgotten and such cultures end up being morally transfigured.
Designer tribalism praises primitive cultures as being deeply in touch with nature and living in harmony with animals and plants. Unfortunately for this point of view, Sandall points out that some cultures were far from friendly to the environment, e.g. the Māori in New Zealand were responsible for massive deforestation and the extinction of several indigenous species of birds. Similarly, the religion, art and music of tribal cultures are held to be deeply meaningful and profound. The corresponding aspects of western civilization are usually denigrated and despised, as are western science and technology.
In an appendix in his book, Sandall describes the Disneyfication
of the noble savage, a term that encapsulates many of his beliefs in just a few sentences:
Cultural relativism
Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. This principle was established as axiomatic in anthropological research by Franz Boas in the first few decades of the 20th century and...
and is best known as the author of The Culture Cult. He was born in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand, in 1933 but has spent most of his career in Australia. He became a film director at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in 1965 and subsequently a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1973, a post he held until he retired in 1993.
Sandall is a strong critic of romantic primitivism
Primitivism
Primitivism is a Western art movement that borrows visual forms from non-Western or prehistoric peoples, such as Paul Gauguin's inclusion of Tahitian motifs in paintings and ceramics...
and the concept of the noble savage
Noble savage
The term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...
; he is an advocate of modern civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
. In Sandall's view, romantic primitivism places far too high a value on cultures that were often characterised by, among other aspects, limited human rights, religious intolerance, disease and poverty. Other negative aspects he discusses include domestic oppression (usually of women and children), violence, clan/tribal warfare, poor care of the environment and considerable restriction on artistic freedom of expression.
Designer tribalism
Sandall coined the term designer tribalism to describe the attitudes of those western anthropologists (e.g. Margaret MeadMargaret Mead
Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
) who constructed an idyllic but imaginary past for tribal cultures. Designer tribalism is the end result of a process where primitive ways of life (e.g. human sacrifice and clan warfare) become forgotten and such cultures end up being morally transfigured.
Designer tribalism praises primitive cultures as being deeply in touch with nature and living in harmony with animals and plants. Unfortunately for this point of view, Sandall points out that some cultures were far from friendly to the environment, e.g. the Māori in New Zealand were responsible for massive deforestation and the extinction of several indigenous species of birds. Similarly, the religion, art and music of tribal cultures are held to be deeply meaningful and profound. The corresponding aspects of western civilization are usually denigrated and despised, as are western science and technology.
In an appendix in his book, Sandall describes the Disneyfication
Disneyfication
Disneyfication is a term which describes the transformation of something, usually society at large, to resemble The Walt Disney Company's theme parks. The latter term appears in Sharon Zukin's book, The Cultures of Cities , and was popularized by Alan Bryman in a 2004 book, The Disneyization of...
of the noble savage, a term that encapsulates many of his beliefs in just a few sentences:
- "Sentimentalism begets puerility. The ruthless scalpers of yesterday become Loving Persons. One-time ferocious fighters are discovered to be Artists at Heart. Hollywood becomes interested. ... Soon the primitive is elevated above the civilized. ... The moral transfiguration of real-life tribal culture into the imaginary landscape of romantic primitivism is now complete. The defining texts of this last stage are two: The Man-Eating Myth by William Arens, an influential book denying that cannibalism ever existed; and the 1995 Disney epic: PocahontasPocahontas (1995 film)Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
."
Essays
- Can Sudan be Saved?, Commentary, 118 (5): 38-44, (December 2004)
- Nihilism in the Middle East, Quadrant, 45 (12): 31-37, (December 2001)
- The Rise of the Anthropologue, Encounter, 70 (12): 66-71, (December 1986)
- The Culture Cult Revisited, Social Science and Modern Society 45 (3): 233-238, (June 2008)
- Sir Francis Galton and the Origin of Eugenics, Social Science and Modern Society 45 (2) 170-176, (April 2008)
- Science and Consensus, Quadrant, 50 (5) 55-59, (May 2006)
- What Native Peoples Deserve, Commentary, 119 (5) 54-59, (May 2005)
- Over there, then — John Gunther, The American Interest, III (1) 90-95, (September/October 2007)