SOSC 1140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 34: Barter

• School: York University
• Department: Social Science
• Course: SOSC 1140
• Professor: Cameron Johnston

Document Summary

In early civilizations, the challenge of survival has depended on the strong interdependence of individuals within a community. The values of reciprocity, redistribution, and householding enabled communal living and safeguarded the economic structure. Economic system that ran on noneconomic motives. these motives were mainly driven by social relations within the family and wider community. Within these relations, the principle of reciprocity is developed. Reciprocity was fostered through the sharing of goods. People collectively assisted in chores and shared food from the common catch and all enjoyed the fruitful results of each other"s labour. The whole community was united in mutual obligations, which meant that if a person was to do good onto them, they were obliged to return that favour. The returning of that favour was not based on market exchange, or purchase or sale, but on social considerations. Redistribution was also essential for the effective functioning of the economy.