Perspective

Do we have too much stuff? That's the central theme of a new book by a leading anthropologist who goes back in time to ask whether our discovery of tools was in fact the beginning of the end of the human race. Since then, our desire to grow and build has led to the environmental consequences of today, as we drown in rubbish and the problems of climate change take effect. Chip Colwell's book is entitled "So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything". He spoke to us in Perspective.

The 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup opens this Friday, September 8 with a blockbuster match. Hosts France will face New Zealand in one of the most powerful match-ups in the sport's history. This year, organisers are also expecting record attendance for the tournament, highlighting how professionalisation has transformed the sport in recent years. For more, Paul Rouse joined us for Perspective. He's a professor at University College Dublin and a specialist in the history of Irish and global sport.

Forced exile, grief, pressures of assimilation and generational trauma are recurring themes for many, if not most narratives about the refugee experience. They're at the heart of author Cecile Pin's first book, “Wandering Souls”, which recounts the lesser known stories of Vietnamese boat people who fled to the United Kingdom. She joined us for Perspective.

The French motto of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" can be seen everywhere in France, a constant reminder of the Enlightenment-era ideals the Fifth Republic says it holds dear. But our guest Nabila Ramdani says that a closer look at recurrent street protests, entrenched economic and social inequality and an all-powerful president reveals the cracks in the system. Ramdani is a Franco-Algerian journalist and the author of "Fixing France, How to Repair a Broken Republic". She joined us for Perspective.

Our Perspective guests are two anthropologists who are challenging established critical thinking that violence, oppression and inequality are the natural order of things. They criticise the well-established work of professors like Steven Pinker, Jared Diamond, Yuval Noah Harari and Jordan Peterson – claiming that their views on male dominance being the natural order are "fantasy posing as science". Their new book "Why Men" is their riposte, and uses parables of the toilet frog and the life of baboons to back up their theory. Nancy Lindisfarne and Jonathan Neale speak to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee.

Our Perspective guest is Europe's first professor of Black Studies. Dr Kehinde Andrews argues that whiteness is a psychosis, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the ultimate symbol of White supremacy and that Nelson Mandela was a sell-out. He's fully aware of the clickbait element of his statements, which have led to run-ins with right-wing TV presenters and social media commentators, something which he says opens up a wider debate on Black consciousness. His new book, "The Psychosis of Whiteness", is out now. He spoke to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee.

She's documented war and conflict – and its devastating aftermath – in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and Gaza, and shone a spotlight on women's struggles in India and Egypt, with her images appearing in the likes of Le Monde, Libération, The Washington Post, Newsweek and Stern Magazine. She's back in France for the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. Our Perspective guest is award-winning photojournalist Chloe Sharrock, who works for the MYOP photo agency.

In the past two weeks, authorities in Brazil have seized what's thought to be the biggest ever consignment of shark fins, a culinary delicacy in China that's banned across much of the world. The fins of an estimated 10,000 sharks were discovered after checks on two fish export companies in São Paulo. Authorities say the fins came from two different species: the blue shark and the shortfin mako shark. Our guest Claire Nouvian is a passionate marine conservationist who's spent a career trying to raise awareness to end the shark fin trade. The focus of her Paris-based NGO BLOOM is on the urgent issues of the ocean, which include damaging fishing techniques. She joined us for Perspective.

A man who spent six months behind bars accused of a murder he did not commit has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how he fought to turn his life around. After the case against Kenny Imafidon was dismissed by a judge, he was named the most outstanding Black student in the UK. He's also been named one of 100 young leaders across the globe making a social impact to transform our world. Imafidon is co-founder and managing director of ClearView Research, a leading research company which focuses on young people. He's now documented his life in a book entitled "That Peckham Boy: Growing Up, Getting Out and Giving Back". He joined us for Perspective.

An Egyptian artist, whose work has resonated particularly across the Middle East, has told FRANCE 24 how his life as a teenager amid the Arab Spring and the fall of Hosni Mubarak has influenced his work. Abdullah Miniawy is a singer, poet, composer and international actor. Born in Saudi Arabia, he moved to Egypt when young and performed in Tahrir Square during the anti-Mubarak protests. He's now in Paris working on a series of projects. He spoke to us in Perspective.