The Gift : Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies

from kant1066

Marcel Mauss' "The Gift" (1925) is one of the most influential pieces of anthropology written in the twentieth century. It explores the economies of pre-capitalist cultures and peoples from several different parts of the world, including Melanesia, Polynesia, and the Pacific Northwest. This speci...

from dono421846

Accessible classic offering a theory as to how gifts serve to create social cohesion. "We may then consider that the spirit of gift-exchange is characteristic of societies which have passed the phase of 'total prestation' (between clan and clan, family and family) but have not yet reached the sta...

from surreality

Excellent take on gift-giving in non-monetary societies, with sound research and convincing argumentation. Mauss brings up intriguing thoughts and shows patterns of gift-giving and the relationships of reciprocation stemming from it. The influence can be seen in almost all later works on the subj...

from surreality

Excellent take on gift-giving in non-monetary societies, with sound research and convincing argumentation. Mauss brings up intriguing thoughts and shows patterns of gift-giving and the relationships of reciprocation stemming from it. The influence can be seen in almost all later works on the subj...