ABSTRACT
The fundamental distinction between gifting and commodities relates to the different relationship set up by a transaction. A gift, whether in the form of a good or a service, is essentially inalienable. It implies permanent debt and, reciprocally, permanent trust. The gift economy also marks, however, other types of 'passage'. Labour migration as a social relationship spanning distant countries has itself generated its unique expressions of gifting. 'Customary' and 'ceremonial' gifting responds to changing circumstances and the reordering of social relationships. Value is reflected in exclusivity: the more valued ceremonial services and gifts are usually restricted to a few choice persons only. In urban society, gift economies are encapsulated within a broader economy. Yet their significance should not be underestimated; gift economies may dominate familial and communal activities, setting apart urban sub-groups, and generating multiplex relationships and dense social network clusters.
