the gift forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies

'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. The Gift exploits Mausss high-level analytical and interpretative skills to produce a brilliant investigation of the forms, meanings, and structures of gift. In a modern translation, introduced by distinguished anthropologist Mary Douglas, ?The Gift ?is essential reading for students of social anthropology and sociology. Mauss says as much in reply to Bronislaw Malinowski who was surprised to find such precisely calculated return gifts in Melanesia. He sees the gift exchange as related to individuals and groups as much as to the objects themselves, and his analysis calls into question the social conventions and economic systems that had been taken for granted for so many years. A gift that does nothing to enhance solidarity is a contradiction. The gift is a perfect example of what Mauss calls a total social phenomenon, since it involves legal, economic, moral, religious, aesthetic, and other dimensions. Since its first publication in English in 1954, The Gift, Marcel Mauss's groundbreaking study of the relation between forms of exchange and social structure, has been acclaimed as a classic among anthropology texts.Ī brilliant example of the comparative method, ?The Gift? presents the first systematic study of the custom―widespread in primitive societies from ancient Rome to present-day Melanesia―of exchanging gifts. The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies: Author: Marcel Mauss: Translated by: Ian Cunnison: Contributor: Edward Evans-Pritchard: Edition: reprint: Publisher: Martino.

The gift forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies