Marcel Mauss
anthropologist · 1 mention across 1 reading
In this course
Mauss's theory of gift exchange as a non-commodified system of circulation—foundational to anthropological thinking about value and obligation—anchors debates in the course about alternatives to market logic and how systems (economic, social, informational) create binding relationships through reciprocity rather than consumption. His work enables theorists in these readings to imagine economies and networks beyond individualist, capitalist frameworks, applying anthropological insights about obligation and social bond-making to contemporary systems of exchange, data sharing, and algorithmic mediation.
Background
Marcel Israël Mauss was a French sociologist and anthropologist known as the "father of French ethnology". The nephew of Émile Durkheim, Mauss, in his academic work, crossed the boundaries between sociology and anthropology. Today, he is perhaps better recognised for his influence on the latter discipline, particularly with respect to his analyses of topics such as magic, sacrifice and gift exchange in different cultures around the world. Mauss had a significant influence upon Claude Lévi-Strauss, the founder of structural anthropology. His most famous work is The Gift (1925).
Wikipedia →Mentioned in 1 reading
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