Politics of the Gift: Towards a Convivial Society (Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century)

At the heart of capitalism lies the idea of “homo economicus”: an ever-rational human being motivated by self-interest which arguably leads societies to economic prosperity. But in fact capitalism has brought humanity into a deep social and ecological crisis. Drawing on French sociologist Marcel Mauss’ influential theory of gift giving, Frank Adloff shatters this fallacy to show mutual trust is the only glue that holds societies together. People are giving beings and they can cooperate for the benefit of all when the logic of maximizing utility in capitalism is broken which leads to an exploitation of people and nature. Proposing the concept of “homo donator” and acknowledging the role of women, nature and workers in the Global South in transforming society, this book proposes a politics of gift giving and conviviality, (from Latin con-vivere: living together), for global and environmental justice as an alternative to the pursuit of profit, growth and consumption. At the heart of capitalism lies the idea of ‘homo economicus’: an ever-rational human being motivated by self-interest which arguably leads societies to economic prosperity. Drawing on French sociologist Marcel Mauss' influential theory of ‘the gift’, Frank Adloff shatters this fallacy to show mutual trust is the only glue that holds societies together; people are giving beings and they can cooperate for the benefit of all when the logic of maximizing personal gain in capitalism is broken. Acknowledging the role of women, nature, and workers in the Global South in transforming society, this book proposes a politics of conviviality, (from the Latin con-vivere: living together) for global and environmental justice as an alternative to the pursuit of profit, growth, and consumption. Contents Introduction: From Capitalism’s Crises to a Convivial Society Part I: An Anthropology of Giving 1 Self-interest, Altruism, and the Gift 2 Mauss’ Gift 3 Homo Donator: A Different Anthropology Part II: Society’s Gifts 4 Locating the Gift in Society 5 The Gift between Socialism and Capitalism 6 Commodities, Values, Money, Gifts Part III: Crossing the Borders 7 Science and Technology, Nature and Conviviality 8 Gifts of Nature 9 Civil Society, Conviviality, Utopia Part IV: Worlds of Conviviality 10 Aesthetic Freedom, or The Gift of Art 11 Pluriversalism: Towards a European and Global Politics of Conviviality Conclusion Notes References Index Drawing on French sociologist Marcel Mauss' influential theory of 'the gift', this book shows that trust is the only glue that holds societies together, and people are giving beings and they who can cooperate for the benefit of all when the logic of maximizing utility personal gain in capitalism is broken.