The form and reason for exchange in archaic societies. Anthropologist, sociologist and historian of religions french, born in epinal in 1872 and died in paris in 1950. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this marcel mauss study guide and get instant access to the following biography. Though he never did fieldwork, mauss advocated a stringent methodology, which, particularly through his student, marcel griaule, would influence french anthropology profoundly. The gift, a 1925 sociologyanthropology essay by marcel mauss the gift. First written by marcel mauss and henri humbert in 1902, a general theory of magic gained a wide new readership when republished by mauss in 1950. Marcel mauss and the study of techniques in the french social sciences nathan schlanger besides presenting the thrust of marcel mausss works on techniques. Marcel mauss on war, debt, and the politics of reparations article pdf available in sociological theory 294. People born on may 10 fall under the zodiac sign of taurus, the bull.
He sees the gift exchange as related to individuals and groups as much as to the objects themselves, and his analysis calls into question the social conventions and economic systems. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the persons given names to the link. On the death of durkheim, mauss became editor of the journal. Marcel mauss was born in 1872 to an orthodox jewish family in vosges. Forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies 1925 german edition. Marcel mauss highlighted the fact that exchanges within and among social groups have multiple coconstituted meanings, which are, among other possibilities, economic, moral, political, and religious. Son of a family jewish very enlightened and deeply religious, in which there were various rabbis, marcel mauss was nephew of another great sociologist and french anthropologist, emile durkheim. First mauss presents the system as found in working order. Mausss most influential work is his essay sur le don 192324. Durkheim surrounded himself with a circle of brilliant young acolytes, among whom mauss was appointed to study religion. Mauss, marcel anthrobase dictionary of anthropology.
The nephew of emile durkheim, mauss academic work traversed the boundaries between sociology and anthropology. Although the prestations and counterprestations take place under a voluntary guise they are in essence strictly obligatory, and their sanction is private or open warfare 3. Today, he is perhaps better recognised for his influence on the latter discipline, particularly with respect to his analyses of topics such as magic, sacrifice, and gift exchange in different cultures. Marcel mauss 1872 1950 was a french sociologist and anthropologist and nephew of emile durkheim. It deals with economy, exchange, contract do et des, it speaks of raising the stakes, sacrifice, gift and countergiftin short, and the annulment of the gift. Marcel mauss celebrity biography, zodiac sign and famous quotes.
The notion of techniques of the body i deliberately say techniques of the body in the plural because it is possible to produce a theory of the technique of the body in the singular on the basis of a study, an exposition, a description pure and simple. M arcel mauss is probably best known in the united states as the. As a person born on this date, marcel mauss is listed in our database as the 51st most popular celebrity for the day may 10 and the th most popular for the year 1872. As a study of magic in primitive societies and its survival today in our thoughts and social actions, it represents what claude levistrauss called, in an introduction to that edition, the astonishing modernity of the mind of one of the centurys. Marcel mauss french sociologist and anthropologist britannica. Gifts are exchanged not out of just generosity, but out of obligatory and economic interest of the society. Marcel mauss, french sociologist and anthropologist whose contributions include a highly original comparative study of the relation between forms of exchange and social structure. Among his most important studies are primitive classification with durkheim, 1902 and the gift 1925.
Marcel mauss was a famous french sociologist, who was born on may 10, 1872. While i had been exposed to the idea of the body as a site of academic discourse in various forms, the idea of the everyday body in academic setting was new and fascinating for me. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. The gift is a grand exercise in positivist research, combining ethnology, history, and sociology. The nephew of emile durkheim, mausss academic work traversed the boundaries between sociology. His uncle, emile durkheim, is considered the founder of modern sociology. Imagination and the erotic life of property, a 1983 book by lewis hyde the gift. This takes him to the ethnography of north america.
This article is of interest to the following wikiprojects. In the gift, mauss 1924 explores giftexchanges in various cultures and highlights the reciprocal nature of gifts and the obligation of the receiver to repay the. His views on the theory and method of ethnology are thought to have influenced many eminent social scientists. This essay will critically explore mauss theories and findings relating to gift reciprocation, honour, and the concept of free or pure gifts without agenda. Feb 03, 2015 these techniques, which he lists as a neat set of activities human beings engage in from infancy to adulthood, mauss claims are an embodiment of a specific culture. Mauss marcel 18721950 french social anthropologist who collaborated with emile durkheim in the editorship of the annee sociologique and influenced levistrauss. There was room for only one leader of the movement, so we speak of the durkheimians and the. His masterpiece, the 1925 essay the gift, on reciprocity and gift economies among archaic this book is the first intellectual biography of marcel mauss 18721950, the father of modern ethnology and a leading early figure in. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
Nov 21, 2005 mauss left a rich intellectual legacy in the social sciences, influencing the work of claude lvistrauss and others. Marcel mauss has been listed as a level4 vital article in people. His other work is less well known, and his position as a leading figure in french sociology for over half a century. Chapter pdf available january 2010 with 1,402 reads. Mauss marcel article about mauss marcel by the free dictionary. The hierarchies within and between groups, constituted with those meanings, are thus both determin. Marcel mauss and the study of techniques in the french social sciences nathan schlanger besides presenting the thrust of marcel mauss s works on techniques, technology and civilisation, i will dedicate particular attention here to the historical and ideological dimensions of his contribution1. Marcel mauss the gift 1925 is one of the most influential pieces of anthropology written in the twentieth century. How the creative spirit transforms the world, the 2006 title for lewis hydes book. What is striking about the potlatch among the haida and tlingit of the northwest coast is the extreme rivalry. It explores the economies of precapitalist cultures and peoples from several different parts of the world, including melanesia, polynesia, and the pacific northwest.