ANT378H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Social Reproduction, Potlatch, Marcel Mauss
Document Summary
Godelier poi(cid:374)ts out the (cid:374)ua(cid:374)(cid:272)es a(cid:374)d i(cid:374)a(cid:272)(cid:272)ura(cid:272)ies i(cid:374) mauss(cid:859)s (cid:449)ork (cid:894)the lega(cid:272)(cid:455) of mauss(cid:895). Mauss says that o(cid:271)ligatio(cid:374) is the reaso(cid:374) that thi(cid:374)gs (cid:373)o(cid:448)e, i(cid:374) (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h (cid:449)a(cid:455)s the(cid:455) (cid:373)o(cid:448)e (cid:894)it(cid:859)s (cid:374)ot the will of the thing more of the social obligation). Thi(cid:374)gs are (cid:373)o(cid:448)i(cid:374)g (cid:449)ith a reaso(cid:374), goes (cid:271)a(cid:272)k to mauss(cid:859) assertatio(cid:374) that people gi(cid:448)e (cid:271)a(cid:272)k (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause of the spirit of the (cid:858)thi(cid:374)g(cid:859), the o(cid:271)ligatio(cid:374) that the gift (cid:272)reates. But this is (cid:374)ot e(cid:374)ough of a(cid:374) e(cid:454)pla(cid:374)atio(cid:374) for godelier . The only alienable object that can be distinguished from the owner and traded. I(cid:374)alie(cid:374)a(cid:271)le o(cid:271)je(cid:272)ts, the des(cid:272)riptio(cid:374) of (cid:449)hat is(cid:374)(cid:859)t a (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)odit(cid:455). According to godelier, the gift is caught between the dichotomy. Commodity must be removed from use value to have exchange value. Spirit is attached to sacred and precious goods. His answer: overall, private ownership and collective ownership is very central to distinguish what i sacred and what can be commodified/ exchanged.
