The Gift (book)
The Gift is a 1923 short book by the French sociologist Marcel Mauss and is best known for being one of the earliest and most important studies of reciprocity and gift exchange.
Mauss's original piece was entitled Essai sur le don. Forme et raison de l'échange dans les sociétés archaïques ("An essay on the gift: the form and reason of exchange in archaic societies") and was originally published in L'Année Sociologique in 1923-1924. The essay was later republished in book form in English in two translations. The first, by Ian Cunnison, appeared in 1954. The second, by W.D. Halls, appeared in 1990.
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[edit] Argument
Mauss's essay focuses on the way that the exchange of objects between groups builds relationships between humans.
The essay drew on a wide range of ethnographic examples. Mauss drew on Bronisław Malinowski's study of kula exchange, the institution of the potlatch, and Polynesian ethnography to demonstrate how widespread practices of gift giving were in non-European societies. In later sections of the book he examined Indian history and suggested that traces of gift exchange could be found in more 'developed' societies as well. In the conclusion of the book he suggested that industrialized, secular societies such as his own could benefit from recognizing this dynamic of gift giving.
[edit] Influence
The Gift has been very influential in anthropology, where there is a large field of study devoted to reciprocity and exchange. It has also influenced philosophers, artists and political activists, including Georges Bataille, Jacques Derrida and more recently the work of David Graeber. Many today see Mauss's work as a guide to how giving can promote a better way of living. The gift-giving and exchange practices Mauss described were often self-interested, but at the same time has a concern for others; the main point of the traditional gift is that it furthers both of these human aspects at the same time.
[edit] Secondary literature
- Georges Bataille, The Accursed Share (New York: Zone Books, 1988 [orig. pub. 1949]).
- Claude Lévi-Strauss, Introduction to the Work of Marcel Mauss (London: Routledge, 1987 [orig. pub. 1950]).
- Jacques Derrida, Given Time 1: Counterfeit Money (Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1992 [orig. pub. 1991]).
- Lewis Hyde, "The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property" (New York: Vintage, 2007 [orig. pub. 1983]).
- Bronisław Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific (Available online, [orig. pub. 1922]).
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Cannell, Fenella (2006) The anthropology of Christianity, Introduction
