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1002:3.1 [2016/07/21 21:46] – Ryan Schram (admin) | 1002:3.1 [2018/08/12 16:02] – [Gifts and commodities] Ryan Schram (admin) | ||
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ryan.schram@sydney.edu.au | ryan.schram@sydney.edu.au | ||
- | Monday, August | + | Monday, August |
Available at http:// | Available at http:// | ||
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* **All societies in some way impose the three obligations of reciprocity on their members, even if they don't realize it.** | * **All societies in some way impose the three obligations of reciprocity on their members, even if they don't realize it.** | ||
- | This holistic model of a social system is also a very useful lens for understanding contemporary societies. This week, I'd like to develop | + | This holistic model of a social system is also a very useful lens for understanding contemporary societies. This week, I'd like to develop |
* A social system creates separate spheres of exchange. | * A social system creates separate spheres of exchange. | ||
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## Spheres of exchange ## | ## Spheres of exchange ## | ||
- | Many societies organize objects into distinct, ranked spheres of exchange | + | Many societies organize objects into distinct, ranked |
1. Women as wives | 1. Women as wives | ||
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Some things, like land, cannot be exchanged for anything, but are inherited. | Some things, like land, cannot be exchanged for anything, but are inherited. | ||
- | ## Two points about spheres ## | + | ## Relationships can be organized into spheres, too ## |
- | 1. In spite of predictions to the contrary, money does not collapse all spheres into one market. Often money exchanges are placed in their own sphere. | + | We can take the idea of spheres of exchange and apply it to the different ways people exchange: |
- | 2. Western and “modern” societies think of themselves as being dominated by money, but if you think about it, these societies have spheres of exchange | + | |
- | ## Ongka redux ## | + | * Kula valuables (bagi, mwali) are a sphere of exchange. These objects can only be exchanged for each other, and not for anything else. |
+ | * Moreover, one only does kula with certain kula partners, and one must keep one's kula exchanges separate from other kinds of exchanges with other people, like barter. | ||
- | * Has a bank account | + | ## The ikpanture relationship is sphere of exchange ## |
- | * Grows coffee | + | |
- | * He has also said that cash-cropping and moka should coexist (Strathern and Stewart 2004, 133). | + | |
- | ## Commodities and capitalism ## | + | Piot describes the relationship among // |
- | * [[: | + | * The way you treat your // |
- | * You can think of commodities as a " | + | * // |
- | exchange commodities for money, | + | * One relies on // |
- | certain | + | * Ikpanture relationships are not //quid pro quo//. |
- | * The sale of commodities generates a profit. | + | |
- | * A system of producing, selling and distributing commodities as the | + | |
- | main form of economic system is associated with **capitalism**. | + | |
- | ## Capitalism is ## | + | ## Two points about spheres |
- | * **Capitalism** is a system in which the means of production are | + | 1. In spite of predictions to the contrary, money does not collapse all spheres into one market. Often money exchanges are placed |
- | privately owned by one social class. | + | 2. Western and “modern” societies think of themselves as being dominated by money, but if you think about it, these societies |
- | * **Capitalism** is a system | + | |
- | | + | |
- | labor. | + | |
- | ## Talk about selling out ## | + | ## Moral limits on exchange |
- | A worker under capitalism brings "his own hide to market and has | + | Gift systems are not static or unchanging. They adapt to contact with colonial power, money, and markets. They do so in different ways. |
- | nothing to expect but -- a hiding" | + | |
- | chap. 6). | + | |
- | What do you think he means by this? Buzz about this. What do you | + | One way is by quarantining money and market exchange. For instance, |
- | associate with the word Capitalism? Marxism? When did you first hear | + | |
- | these words? Have you ever read the *Communist Manifesto*? | + | |
- | ## Money and profits ## | + | * Auhelawa market food but consider buying food to be shameful, |
+ | especially seeds. | ||
- | Let C represent a good, e.g. boots, cell phone, gum. | + | * In the past, Wedau people earned money from selling copra, and |
+ | bought steel tools, but prohibited the use of steel tools in | ||
+ | gardens. | ||
- | Let M represent money. | ||
- | 1. **C - M - C'** *The simple exchange of goods.* | + | ## When a gift system meets a commodity system |
- | 2. **M - C - M'** *The making of profit through the exchange of commodities.* | + | |
- | Marx wants to know why society | + | When a society |
- | ## Marxist analysis is about finding contradictions ## | + | * Separation, tension, and conflict |
+ | * Efflorescence | ||
+ | * Transformation | ||
- | * It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. | ||
- | * Never before can we feed so many, and never before have so many | ||
- | people been without food. | ||
- | * Everyone in Australia can afford "fast fashion," | ||
- | Bangladesh work themselves to death for minimal wages. | ||
- | * Social systems and the global systems are defined by their | ||
- | contradictions. They contain an ongoing struggle of life and death. | ||
- | ## What's next ## | ||
- | * We continue to explore Marx's concept of commodities. | ||
- | - The fetishism of commodities | ||
- | - The commodification of everything | ||
- | * We are spending a lot of time on commodities because | ||
- | - The global economic system is capitalist system. | ||
- | - Hence, the kinds of conflicts and confrontations we are studying | ||
- | are all examples of when a gift system meets a commodity system. | ||
- | |||
- | If you would like to learn more about Marxism, visit: | ||
- | http:// | ||
- | *Capital*, and other key writings of Marx and Engels. | ||
## References ## | ## References ## | ||
- | |||
- | Andrae, Thomas. 2013. " | ||
- | Book: From Captain America to Wonder Woman, volume 1, Duncan, Randy, | ||
- | and Matthew J. Smith, eds. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. | ||
Bohannan, Paul. 1955. "Some Principles of Exchange and Investment among the Tiv." American Anthropologist, | Bohannan, Paul. 1955. "Some Principles of Exchange and Investment among the Tiv." American Anthropologist, | ||
- | |||
- | Marx, Karl. 1867. " | ||
- | Labor-Power." | ||
- | vol 1. https:// | ||
Mauss, Marcel. 2000 [1925]. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Translated by W. D. Halls. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. | Mauss, Marcel. 2000 [1925]. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Translated by W. D. Halls. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. | ||
- | Strathern, Andrew, and Pamela Stewart. 2004. Empowering the Past, | ||
- | Confronting the Future: The Duna People of Papua New | ||
- | Guinea. Basingstoke, | ||
- | |||
- | Voltaire. 2006 [1759]. Candide. Project | ||
- | Gutenberg. http:// | ||