Multimedia
What role can anthropology play in market research?
11 June 2024
Tracking online extremism to tackle violence
16 November 2023
Against Interpretive Exclusivism
14 October 2023
ISD's Julia Ebner discusses counter terror strategy on BBC Newsnight
8 September 2023
The Henry Myers Lecture
7 June 2022
RAI Book Launch
Book Launch of Harvey Whitehouse's The Ritual Animal: Imitation and cohesion in the Evolution of Social Complexity
1 March 2022
Unboxing Cultural Rituals: Christmas in Pandemic Times
Why do children believe in Santa Claus?
17 December 2020
How to be Good
TEDx talk by Oliver Scott Curry, CSSC Research Affiliate, exploring questions such as "What’s the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, moral and immoral?"
9 March 2020
Going Dark: The Secret Social Lives of Extremists
Talks at Google: Julia Ebner, CSSC DPhil candidate, discusses the ways in which these groups radicalize their members and what can be done to counter them.
25 February 2020
Why We Hate: Sport Fan Bonding & Violence
Segment from Episode 2: Tribalism, featuring Martha Newson. Part of a Discovery UK investigation into hate, produced by Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney.
20 October 2019
Extraordinary Rituals
As Chief Consultant on the BBC2 ‘Extraordinary Rituals’ series, Harvey Whitehouse reports from behind the scenes.
17 August 2018
Giving Vitality Back in Our Values to Open Societies
TEDx talk by Scott Atran, L’echappée volêe.
July 2017
The Pain, the Past, and the Day After Tomorrow
Opening Keynote by Lord Alderdice recorded for 'The Day After Tomorrow' CASSE event, which took place in Melbourne, Australia.
25 March 2017
Hopes and Dreams in a World of Fear
Scott Atran's presentation at the World Government Summit, Dubai.
February 2017
Quelling Radicalization Through New Understanding of Ritual, Fusion and Identity
Harvey Whitehouse's Ideas Lab presentation at the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the European Research Council.
18 January 2017
Analysing the Limits of Rational Choice in Political and Cultural Conflict
Scott Atran's Ideas Lab presentation at the World Economic Forum.
January 2017
Why Facts Don't Unify Us
Harvey Whitehouse's Betazone presentation at the World Economic Forum, in partnership with Nature Publishing Group.
17 January 2017
How Far Right and Islamist Extremists Amplify Each Other's Rhetoric
TEDx talk by Julia Ebner, CSSC DPhil candidate.
10 November 2016
What Makes A Terrorist?
Scott Atran's segment in 'Through the Wormhole' with Morgan Freeman, on the Discovery Channel.
August 2016
What Can the Reaction to the Death of Cecil the Lion Tell Us About Human Co-operation?
Dominic Johnson, David Macdonald and Harvey Whitehouse, Directors of the Oxford Martin Programme on Natural Governance, look at what the reaction to Cecil's death can tell us about human co-operation.
June 2016
Early Civilization and Belief
Harvey Whitehouse appeared in episode 4, 'Creation', of 'The Story of God with Morgan Freeman', on the National Geographic Channel.
24 April 2016
Why Are Rituals Important?
Harvey Whitehouse and Daniel Mullins discuss how Seshat: The Global History Databank can help researchers examine the role of rituals in binding communities together throughout human history.
17 September 2015
Religion Past and Present
Harvey Whitehouse's panel participation at the Integrative Science Symposium, International Convention of Psychological Science, Effectenbeurszaal, Amsterdam.
13 March 2015
Rituals As Social Glue: An Interview With Harvey Whitehouse
An interview with anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse about the role of rituals in the evolution and maintenance of social behaviour.
23 December 2013
New Atheism, Ritual, and Identity Fusion: A Walk in the Park With Harvey Whitehouse
Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition, and Culture, University of British Columbia.
20 August 2013
LEVYNA Interview with Harvey Whitehouse
Laboratory for Experimental Research on Religion (LEVYNA), Masaryk University.
25 February 2013
How has our evolutionary past shaped us? In conversation with Harvey Whitehouse
Nick Spencer speaks with Harvey Whitehouse, Chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford. Can we have nuanced and realistic understanding of the impact of evolution on us today without going down the rabbit hole of determinism. What impact has evolution had on us - our communities and societies, our morality and our religion.
10 December 2024
Play on Apple Music and Spotify.
Episode #200: Dr Harvey Whitehouse
In Episode #200, anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse sits down with Osi to discuss how humanity's evolved psychological biases—conformism, religiosity, and tribalism—have shaped our history, driven monumental achievements, and now imperil our future, while offering insights for addressing today’s global crises.
25 November 2024
Play on Apple Music and Spotify.
Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World
In Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World (Harvard University Press, 2024), renowned anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse offers a sweeping account of how our biases have shaped humanity's past and imperil its future. He argues that three biases--conformism, religiosity, and tribalism--drive human behavior everywhere.
10 November 2024
Play on Spotify.
Harvey Whitehouse on ABC's Nightlife podcast
From Socrates, to Shakespeare, the human race has probably been pondering the influence of religion on our moral values since the dawn of time. Do you need to believe in God to be moral? One man who believes he's found the answer to that question is Professor Harvey Whitehouse, Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford University. It's explored in his new book, Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World.
15 September 2024
Harvey Whitehouse on the Rathbones Inspired Minds podcast
In the first episode of a brand new season of Rathbones Inspired Minds, host Daniel Norcross speaks to renowned anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse. In this fascinating conversation Harvey talks to Daniel about what inspires him and his new book Inheritance, The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World, which focuses on how our evolved psychology has shaped the past, present and future of humanity.
10 September 2024
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify.
Harvey Whitehouse on the Quiet Riot podcast
An enriching and uplifting conversation with Professor Harvey Whitehouse, chair of social anthropology and professorial fellow of Magdalen College at the University of Oxford. We come equipped with three deeply ingrained biases: tribalism, religiosity, and conformity. How do we overcome them? By working with them, says Whitehouse in his new book: INHERITANCE.
28 August 2024
Listen to the recording on Apple Music or Spotify.
Harvey Whitehouse on the Disorder podcast
In today’s episode, Jason Pack is joined by Harvey Whitehouse, Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at Oxford University and author of Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World. Jason and Harvey explore: why cultivating a deeper understanding of evolutionary biology helps us explain the exact sociological appeal of strongmen like Putin and Trump; whether the decline in global religiosity has made societies less governable; and why the concept of identity fusion can shed light on how humans see their very essence of their being as part of a group and are willing to act collectively and selflessly to achieve what are perceived as shared interests.
27 August 2024
Harvey Whitehouse on Intelligence Squared
Harvey Whitehouse is joined by Brian Klaas to discuss his latest book, Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World. As we face an era of environmental destruction, political destabilisation and wars fought by forces with ever deadlier arsenals, could the same evolutionary traits that have pushed the world towards ever more sophisticated societies now be failing us?
17 July 2024
Listen to the recording on Spotify.
Martha Newson on Ritual
Martha Newson, CSSC Research Affiliate, speaks to the BBC's PM Programme about ritual: How come we can eat the same breakfast day in, day out, but the thought of the same dinner four days in a row sounds grim? Why do kids love bland, beige food?! Ritual is the answer.
13 December 2021
Listen to the recording on BBC Sounds from 52.35.
Martha Newson on Careers
Martha Newson, CSSC Research Affiliate, speaks to the BBC's PM Programme about careers and the potential for an evolutionary mismatch in career-focussed societies.
7 December 2021
Listen to the recording on BBC Sounds.
Chris Kavanagh on The Guru Playbook
Chris Kavanagh, CSSC Researcher, speaks to the ABC's All in the Mind about the guru playbook and why we should get smart to their tactics.
6 June 2021
Listen to the recording on the ABC's website.
Martha Newson on Football and Racism
Martha Newson, CSSC Research Affiliate, speaks to BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight on football fans, racism and the Black Lives Matter movement.
8 December 2020
Band of Mothers: Childbirth as a Female Bonding Experience
Valerie van Mulukom, CSSC Research Affiliate, speaks to BBC Radio Oxford about the findings of a new study by the University of Oxford.
31 October 2020
Breaking Away From the Pack
CSSC Director speaks to BFM Malaysia about identity fusion, barrier-crossing leadership and tackling extremism.
10 December 2019
Harvey Whitehouse On Rituals
CSSC Director talks to the Social Science Bites podcast about his research into rituals.
5 September 2019
What Motivates Someone to Join the Battle in Iraq?
Scott Atran talks to Fran Kelly on RN Breakfast, ABC Australia.
5 September 2017
Rites From the Start?
Interview with Thea Cunningham (Begins at 14:03), Nature Podcast
24 January 2013
The best books about the evolutionary origins of the modern world
Harvey Whitehouse | Shepherd
23 September 2024
Why children really believe in Santa – the surprising psychology behind tradition
Rohan Kapitány | The Conversation
December 2019
Solving the Puzzle of Supercooperators Means Studying Cooperation Cooperatively
Harvey Whitehouse | The Seshat Newsletter
26 November 2019
A bad time for (some) theories but a good time for history?
Harvey Whitehouse & Pieter François | Cliodynamica
5 May 2019
De-redicalization or De-fusion?
Harvey Whitehouse | Social Change Lab
8 October 2018
Do Universal Moral Intuitions Shape and Constrain Culturally Prevalent Moral Norms?
Harvey Whitehouse & Ryan McKay | The Evolution Institute
17 May 2018
Families Succeed Where Weapons and Security Fail
Julia Ebner & Leah Selig Chauhan | Centre for Mediterranean Integration (CMI)
3 May 2017
People are intensely loyal to groups which abuse newcomers. Why?
Christopher Kavanagh | Aeon Magazine
16 January 2017
Developing the Field Site Concept for the Study of Cultural Evolution: The Promise and the Perils
Christopher Kavanagh & Yo Nakawake | The Evolution Institute
December 2016
Developing the Field Site Concept for the Study of Cultural Evolution: An Anthropologist's View
Harvey Whitehouse | Social Evolution Forum
19 October 2016
Religion Without Belief
Christopher Kavanagh | Aeon Magazine
15 September 2016
Did Easter Island culture collapse? The answer is not so simple
Christopher Kavanagh | Aeon Magazine
11 May 2016
The Role of Ritual in the Evolution of Social Complexity: Five Predictions and a Drum Roll
Harvey Whitehouse, Pieter François & Peter Turchin | Social Evolution Forum
19 October 2015
Three Wishes for the World
Harvey Whitehouse | Social Evolution Forum
12 March 2013
To Understand Present Day Cultures We Must Study the Past: a Commentary on David Sloan Wilson
Michael Hochberg & Harvey Whitehouse | Social Evolution Forum
15 October 2012
Intelligent Design Versus Random Mutation? (A comment on Steven Pinker)
Harvey Whitehouse & Ryan McKay | Social Evolution Forum
22 June 2012
Four Recipes for Religion
Harvey Whitehouse | International Cognition and Culture Institute
25 January 2010
Anthropology in Crisis - What, Still?
Harvey Whitehouse | International Cognition and Culture Institute
7 June 2009
Why Do We Sometimes De-Humanize Our Fellow Humans? Some Preliminary Reflections
Harvey Whitehouse & Justin Barrett | International Cognition and Culture Institute
21 December 2008
