Gifts and commodities

This academic study examines how exchange works in societies where things are given rather than bought and sold, and how that differs from the market exchange of commodities. It sets out a theoretical comparison between the two systems, with Marx and Marcel Mauss as key reference points for the analysis.

The author draws on anthropological evidence, especially from Melanesia and Papua New Guinea, to show how gift relations create social bonds and obligations, while commodity relations separate buyers and sellers. The book is written for students and scholars of economic anthropology and social theory.