The return of the gift : European history of a global idea

This Book Is A History Of European Interpretations Of The Gift From The Mid Seventeenth To The Early Twentieth Century. Reciprocal Gift Exchange, Pervasive In Traditional European Society, Disappeared From The Discourse Of Nineteenth-century Social Theory Only To Return As A Major Theme In Twentieth-century Anthropology, Sociology, History, Philosophy And Literary Studies. Modern Anthropologists Encountered Gift Exchange In Oceania And The Pacific Northwest And Returned The Idea To European Social Thought; Marcel Mauss Synthesized Their Insights With His Own Readings From Remote Times And Places In His Famous 1925 Essay On The Gift, The Starting-point For Subsequent Discussion. The Return Of The Gift Demonstrates How European Intellectual History Can Gain Fresh Significance From Global Contexts--provided By Publisher. This Book Is A History Of European Interpretations Of The Gift From The Mid-seventeenth To The Early Twentieth Century. Reciprocal Gift Exchange, Pervasive In Traditional European Society, Disappeared From The Discourse Of Nineteenth-century Social Theory Only To Return As A Major Theme In Twentieth-century Anthropology, Sociology, History, Philosophy, And Literary Studies. Modern Anthropologists Encountered Gift Exchange In Oceania And The Pacific Northwest And Returned The Idea To European Social Thought; Marcel Mauss Synthesized Their Insights With His Own Readings From Remote Times And Places In His Famous 1925 Essay On The Gift, The Starting-point For Subsequent Discussion. The Return Of The Gift Demonstrates How European Intellectual History Can Gain Fresh Significance From Global Contexts--provided By Publisher. Machine Generated Contents Note: Introduction; 1. The Crisis Of The Gift: Warren Hastings And His Critics; 2. Liberalism, Self-interest, And The Gift; 3. The Selfless 'savage': Theories Of Primitive Communism; 4. Anthropologists And The Power Of The Gift: Boas, Thurnwald, Malinowski; 5. Marcel Mauss And The Globalized Gift; Conclusion. Harry Liebersohn. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book is a history of modern European interpretations of the gift in global context.--Résumé de l'éditeur