In this chapter, we will closely examine the concept of the “gift” in anthropological scholarship. The first section will focus on what constitutes a gift and the ambiguity of gift-giving in social life. Then we will look at the long-term debate between different scholars on the distinction between gifts and commodity. The third section will focus primarily on Marcel Mauss and his theory of the gift, while its successive section on the various criticisms of Mauss’ theory by different sociologists and anthropologists. In the fifth section, we will look at the paradox of the “pure gift” and unidirectional giving. In the last section, we shall examine as to why for a gift to be a gift, a loss or sacrifice is necessary.
What is a gift?
A gift …show more content…
This shows that the practice of gift giving occurs in all aspects of social life where personal relationships have a dominant role (ibid.). Godelier (1999, 13-14) also points out that even when the giver and the recipient do not have direct personal relations between them and are linked through intermediaries, the personal character of the gift does not necessarily vanish. A suitable example is of charity in contemporary times where the giver and the recipient do not know each other such as campaigns for collecting funds for AIDS research, cancer patients, victims of natural disasters like earthquake and so …show more content…
Malinowski had a unitary view that exchange in primitive societies such as the Trobriand Islands was similar to the exchange that was carried out in industrial societies- rational, interested and in between independent individuals (Carrier 1991, 121). Marcel Mauss (1991), however, did not agree with Malinowski and put forward the view that there are two types of exchange- gift exchange and commodity exchange (Carrier 1991, 121 and Rus 2008, 81). For Mauss, gift exchange is associated with societies that are based on kinship relations that define the transactors and their relations to each other. For example, societies of Melanesia, Pacific Northwest and so on fall under this category. In gift exchange, the object is inalienably related to the donor, recipient and the relationship that binds them (Carrier 1991, 121). On the other hand, commodity exchange is seen as a part of industrial societies that is based on class and division of labour where transactions are between individuals who have no links or obligations towards each other. In such transactions, the object is an alienable private property based on use value and exchange value rather than relation between the transactors
What is a gift?
A gift …show more content…
This shows that the practice of gift giving occurs in all aspects of social life where personal relationships have a dominant role (ibid.). Godelier (1999, 13-14) also points out that even when the giver and the recipient do not have direct personal relations between them and are linked through intermediaries, the personal character of the gift does not necessarily vanish. A suitable example is of charity in contemporary times where the giver and the recipient do not know each other such as campaigns for collecting funds for AIDS research, cancer patients, victims of natural disasters like earthquake and so …show more content…
Malinowski had a unitary view that exchange in primitive societies such as the Trobriand Islands was similar to the exchange that was carried out in industrial societies- rational, interested and in between independent individuals (Carrier 1991, 121). Marcel Mauss (1991), however, did not agree with Malinowski and put forward the view that there are two types of exchange- gift exchange and commodity exchange (Carrier 1991, 121 and Rus 2008, 81). For Mauss, gift exchange is associated with societies that are based on kinship relations that define the transactors and their relations to each other. For example, societies of Melanesia, Pacific Northwest and so on fall under this category. In gift exchange, the object is inalienably related to the donor, recipient and the relationship that binds them (Carrier 1991, 121). On the other hand, commodity exchange is seen as a part of industrial societies that is based on class and division of labour where transactions are between individuals who have no links or obligations towards each other. In such transactions, the object is an alienable private property based on use value and exchange value rather than relation between the transactors