SOCIOL 173 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Gift Economy, Social Reproduction, Homo Economicus
Document Summary
Lecture outline, february 6, 2017: gift exchange vs. commodity exchange. Anthropological evidence: people embedded in social groups gift economy: circulation of goods based on reciprocity recreates obligations and relationships among social persons. Economic approach ( economic man ) adopted in some anthropological & sociological work: self-interested, rational, utility-maximizing individuals, only their circumstances are different, not their mentalities (e. g. , malinowski); independent, calculating individuals, mutually contingent benefits, motivated by returns/gains (e. g. , gouldner, blau) Empirical reality of modern societies: we"ve seen networks that are durable and involve trust in the economic sphere (e. g. , linked firms), and we know that households/families incorporate work. & work identities and have economic significance (e. g. , unpaid household work) home vs. work: not accurate descriptions, but important distinctions, a way to understand the world: gifts. Broad definition, not simply presents; any object or service given in the context of an ongoing relationship relationship defines gift. Volunteer work: productive activity, collective action, ethical relationship; positive effect on informal helping behavior.