ABSTRACT
What this comparison shows is that gift exchange is indeed an important social phenomenon in both seventeenth-century and contemporary Holland. Although this is hardly ever made explicit, individuals in both periods use gifts to establish and maintain social ties, and in both periods gifts offered are expected to be reciprocated within a certain span of time. Several occasions, from calendar feasts to rites of passage as well as daily happenings, call for the offering of gifts. And depending on the character of the occasion, gifts are expected to be offered within certain social networks, be it a circle of family or friends, or a network of professional contacts. The types of gifts expected also depend on both the occasion and the network of exchange. As was shown, there are some novelties in contemporary gift exchange in terms of gift types and gift moments within the occasions of exchange, but, generally speaking, the systems of exchange are quite similar for both periods.
