The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies,   ISBN:9780393320435

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Mauss's "The Gift" is a classic text for economic anthropology and the discipline in general. Written in 1923, partially in response to Malinowski's findings about the Kula ring (discussed in "Argonauts of the Western Pacific" published in 1922), Mauss is questioning the idea that a "gift" can ever be given without the expectation of some sort of return. At the time this was a very new way of approaching economic analysis in societies that did not use some form of money, and this book continues to be influential in that context.

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There is a LOT not to like in this "profound and original book" (from the front jacket, quoting the foreword ?!?): There is literally no original research in a book claiming classic status within a original research intensive speciality (anthropology/sociology), the footnotes are longer then the text itself, the book itself is awkwardly written and the translation seems crude or inexact.

None the less the point that Mauss ultimnately gets around to making (on page 80 of an 80 page book) is that maybe man isn't "economic man," and that the best proof of this is the "total institution" of "primitve" gift giving. Mauss suggests that at the root of human society is not market exhcange, but the gift exchange- an exhange which has literally nothing to do with the "market place." In fact, gift giving predates the marketplace. Leaving aside the various and sundry flaws with the technique, it's a powerful point, and well taken by this reader.

Mauss rather expicilty uses this point to support a call for socialist government. That probably lessens the appeal to an anglo american audience, but I suppose it's maintained it's appeal to academic specialists, who are all a bunch of marxists.

Would I recommend this book to anyone else? Not a chance- skip it.

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There's a lot of talk here and there about what really separates the "modern" from the "primitive". And with good reason. Mauss's "The Gift" has become one of those landmark books that has become a staple for anthropology and social theory; however, I think it deserves far more. If you can, for all 80 pgs of it, discard the notion that this is old-fashioned armchair ethnography, The Gift is an immensely enlightening read. Seriously.

Mauss looks comparatively at several societies through the present and history. He finds, in the end, one common thread that unites them all. That all gifts are given and received with some degree of reciprocity. In short, there is no such thing as a free, or pure, gift. As he says, "Pure gift? Nonsense". His final chapter goes on to explore how, despite the ways in which capitalism somewhat shatters and fragments the gift relationship by severing close ties in trade/exchange between persons, this basic principle of reciprocity and giving still exists in our social structure.

The more you read it, the more you start to see this relationship. Everywhere. It's really pretty cool. Everything is a little game of give and take, even our conversations with one another involve one offering something, one returning. Besides, Mauss is quite a good writer for his time, and the 80 pgs are an easy read. Plus, the book is thin enough to fit in your back pocket. What more could you want?

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Marcel Mauss' seminal work of ethnography reviews the practice of the 'potlatch' in a number of archaic societies throughout the world. His analysis and empirical data are far reaching and highly specific, drawing on a number of the finest researchers in the field (such as Malinowski). Mauss' observations present a picture of a highly complex system of reciprocity, a social contract so important and complex that it often results in competition and often warfare between cross-existing tribes. The ideas in this book are so easily accepted and integrated into our understanding of reciprocity by now that today they seem almost unoriginal. Although Mauss' conclusion that individuals ought to be expected to work, and that absolute reciprocity or 'communism' is dangerous are problematic views, 'The Gift' remains a cornerstone in the field.

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People living in the modern world often have an impression of life being simpler, easier, and less complicated in primitive, tribal societies, especially those without money, credit cards, mortgage bills and other forms of financial exchange. Those who think so should read this book by the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss.

This book examines the practice of exchanging gifts in many non-industrial societies, and looks to see why gifts are given, how they are exchanged, who are involved in these exchanges, what is exchanged, when and where the gifts are exchanged, and how these exchanges factor into the greater fabric of society. What the author discovers and shows to the reader is that gift giving is actually a very complicated and highly political process, that the way it is done affects relationships within villages, between villages, and can end/being hostilities, family fueds, marriages, and alliances. In essence, the roles of many of the business and political institutions present in industrialized societies are all wrapped up in gift-giving and gift-receiving in pre-industrial societies, or archaic societies as the author denotes them. As such, gift exchange is an ever-present ritual at major ceremonies in many tribes, such as births, deaths, marriages, the building of a new house, the clearing of new land, etc, etc... And to not participate in the gift-exchange can lead to social exclusion, isolation, and possibly even banishment.

Overall, a good book and one that lends insight into the behaviour of people. The book is not that easy to read though, as it was first written in the mid-1900s.