Anthropology and the economy of sharing / Thomas Widlok.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Widlok, Thomas, author.

Series:

Critical topics in contemporary anthropology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sharing--Economic aspects--Cross-cultural studies.

Sharing.

Sharing--Social aspects--Cross-cultural studies.

Economic anthropology.

Social aspects.

Genre:

Cross-cultural studies.

Physical Description:

xxi, 217 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa Business, 2017.

Summary:

This book examines the economy of sharing in a variety of social and political contexts around the world, with consideration given to the role of sharing in relation to social order and social change, political power, group formation, individual networks and concepts of personhood. Widlok advocates a refreshingly broad comparative approach to our understanding of sharing, with a rich range of material from hunter-gatherer ethnography alongside debates and empirical illustrations from globalized society, helping students to avoid Western economic bias in their thinking. Anthropology and the Economy of Sharing also demonstrates that sharing is distinct from gift-giving, exchange and reciprocity, which have become dominant themes in economic anthropology, and suggests that a new focus on sharing will have significant repercussions for anthropological theory. Breaking new ground in this key topic, this volume provides students with a coherent and accessible overview of the economy of sharing from an anthropological perspective. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 This is not a gift 1

Introduction 1

Ceci n' est pas un don 2

The myth of reciprocity 12

The realities of sharing 21

Conclusion 27

2 Sharing the prey: Evolutionary assumptions 30

Introduction 30

Origins of sharing 30

Assessing the primate heritage 32

The sharing curve 34

From origin to function 38

The risk-reduction function 45

The levelling function 48

The versatility of sharing 51

Conclusion 56

3 The ethnography of sharing demand 59

Introduction 59

Sharing as a complex institution 60

Sharing and kinship 64

The language of sharing 68

Sharing and bodily presence 72

Opportunities instead of obligations 78

Making and unmaking demands 83

Conclusion 87

4 The things we share 89

Introduction 89

Affording to share 90

Sharing big items and big packages 94

Sharing commensality 98

Sharing a place 100

Sharing Halbzeng in a community of practice 106

Conclusion 111

5 It is a shareholder's world 113

Introduction 113

To hold a share - and to hold on to it 114

Corporate holding and incorporated holding 115

Becoming a shareholder 121

Being a claimant 125

Sharing in the time of shareholding 127

Conclusion 133

6 Introducing the sharing economy 136

Introduction 136

Sharing economy as the answer - what was the question? 137

When "sharing" is renting (out) 140

When "sharing" means haying and insisting on keeping 142

When "sharers'" insist on giving 147

When paying tax means enabling sharing 152

When "sharing" is just a button 157

Conclusion 161

7 The time to share 163

Introduction 163

Over sharing - sharing all over? 164

Premature giving 169

Belated giving 171

Picking the right time 174

Ultimate sharing: Sharing to the end - but not beyond 179

Conclusion 184.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138945555

1138945552

9781138945548

1138945544

OCLC:

952700794