ABSTRACT

The Question of the Gift is the first collection of new interdisciplinary essays on the gift. Bringing together scholars from a variety of fields, including anthropology, literary criticism, economics, philosophy and classics, it provides new paradigms and poses new questions concerning the theory and practice of gift exchange. In addressing these questions, contributors not only challenge the conventions of their fields, but also combine ideas and methods from both the social sciences and humanities to forge innovative ways of confronting this universal phenomenon.

chapter |42 pages

Introduction: questions of the gift

part |2 pages

PART I Redefining reciprocity

part |2 pages

PART II Kinship, generosity and gratitude: ethical foundations

part |2 pages

PART IV Posing new questions