French Literature Reviews - 2026
Tobie Nathan, Ethnomythologiques
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Are you more of a Havaianas or Birkenstock person? Kebab or superfood seeds? Has the Yuka app revolutionized your grocery shopping, or have you given in to Deliveroo food delivery?
In his monthly columns for Philosophie magazine, Tobie Nathan sets out to decode our modern habits by adopting the role of an ethnomythologist—exploring the hidden meaning of our contemporary objects through the lenses of ethnology, mythology, and psychoanalysis.
Take skinny jeans, which accentuate our curves: do they still have anything left to hide? The answer might just lie with the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. And what about the metal or glass water bottle gradually replacing plastic ones—does it embody a healthy ecological awakening, or does it confirm the theories of a psychoanalytic pioneer? As for the electric unicycles taking over our streets and sidewalks, did you know that ancient Greek myths are likely what gave wings to this new mode of urban transport?
Re-examining our latest fads in this light, Tobie Nathan highlights their often uncanny nature, occasional irony, and the inherent absurdity of our world. Anyone who has experienced, tested, or fallen for at least one of these contemporary trends will surely recognize themselves in these pages.
Tobie Nathan adopts the role of an ethnomythologist to explore the hidden meanings behind contemporary consumer objects and everyday habits. By examining items such as footwear, dietary preferences, and reusable water bottles, the columns analyze how modern fads intersect with traditional frameworks. Through this lens, familiar items are revisited to reveal the uncanny and sometimes absurd nature of contemporary routines.
Readers interested in the intersection of psychoanalysis, modern consumer culture, and contemporary social habits may find this work a relevant exploration of how ancient patterns persist in twenty-first-century life. The text reflects an approach that bridges cultural anthropology and everyday observation, situating current trends within the long-term history of human ritual and myth while examining why people adopt specific daily practices.