The World of the Gift
Description
The anthropologist Marcel Mauss, in his famous exploration of the gift in "primitive" and archaic societies, showed that the essential aspect of the exchange of presents involved the establishment of a social tie that bound the parties together above and beyond any material value of the objects exchanged. He argued that these intangible mutual "debts" constituted the social fabric. Godbout and Caillé show that, contrary to the modern assumption that societies function on the basis of market exchange and the pursuit of self-interest, the gift still constitutes the foundation of our social fabric. The authors describe the gift not as an object but as a social connection, perhaps the most important social connection because it creates a sense of obligation to respond in kind. They examine the gift in a broad range of cases such as blood and organ donation; volunteer work; the bonds between friends, couples, and family; Santa Claus; the interaction between performers and their audience; and the relation of the artist to society. Written in an engaging manner, The World of the Gift will appeal to anyone who is interested in how the world really operates.
Reviews
"The idea of gift underlies central problems of social philosophy. In future any adequate treatment of trust and solidarity will need to take this new essay on the gift into account. Utility theory has so dominated our thought that the gift economy has been eclipsed by market operations. Jacques Godbout restores the balance. He shows how market demand depends on the existence of gift exchange. Basic needs apart, what else do people want commodities for? Goods are for giving and hospitality. By turning around the attention of social sciences from the market to gifts this book could change the perspective in an important way." Mary Douglas "In this fascinating book, following in the footsteps of Mauss, Battaille, and Derrida, Godbout and Caillé pursue the "world of the gift" with erudition and passion." Georges Balandier, Le Monde "It may be difficult for readers to resist the meticulously argued optimism of this book. The authors manage to illuminate vast fields of human experience which are in danger of being obscured by modern cynicism: fields where love and gratitude are asserted daily and silently, and where the mysterious "spirit of the gift" continually renews the bonds that define and sustain us." Montreal Review of Books