Reciprocity: 25 Concepts in Anthropology
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- Опубликовано: 24 янв 2025
- A preview of "reciprocity" as anthropologists use the term. Important authors and concepts include:
*Malinowski--Trobriand Islands, Kula
Boas--Kwakiutl, potlatch
Mauss--Maori, hau
Geertz--Javanese, slametan
Sahlins--generalized, balanced (which for some reason I keep calling "specific"), negative.
After reading these authors, advanced students might want to look at Gregory, Gifts and Commodities and Strathern, The Gendered Gift.
For comparison, you might want to look at my video on commodity • Commodity: 25 Concepts...
In general, I am dissatisfied with the accounts of Mauss and Sahlins. I feel like they take a romantic perspective of reciprocity. In my fieldwork experience, reciprocal relations are full of hatred and distrust. That provoked me to write. "The morbid nexus" : Reciprocity and sorcery in rural East Java. N Herriman. The Australian Journal of Anthropology 26 (2), 255-275, 2015. There I argued that reciprocity leads to sorcerer killings, while capitalist economic transactions point to a way out. If you're interested: www.academia.e...
Recommended reading:
Mauss, Marcel. 1990 The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. London: Routledge.
About me: I'm Nick Herriman, author of the books "Entangled State" and "Witch-hunt and Conspiracy". I lecture in Anthropology at La Trobe University. I am also the 'Audible Anthropologist' on iTunes.
About "25 Concepts in Anthropology": I preview what I think are the 25 most important concepts in socio-cultural anthropology. Each concept provides a unique insight into what it is to be human.
See my Blogs on:
*fieldwork in the Cocos Islands nicholasherrima...
the Anthropology of Symbols anthropologyofs...
Amazing, anyone from any field can watch and enjoy your videos!
I appreciate that!
Another outstanding video. So glad I found your channel. Thank you.
Thanks for the support @Cakemonster147!
this video's very nice, golden watch please.
Oh, yes please!
Dear Nick
I am studying Socialanthropology 1 at Stockholms Uni now and read Mauss book the Gift. This was the great explanation that helps me in my study! Thank YOU or as aussies say cheers mate!
As we say here, "no worries".
I am new to Anthropology and will be starting my studies soon. Your videos are really helping me! Thank you.
Please stay with it. Anthropology changed the way I understand myself and the world around me.
Really great video! Perfect mix of brevity and depth. Thank you so much.
Thank you Samiyah!
Excellent talk with a clear explanation of the concept of reciprocity -- thank you!
Well thanks for the kind comment. And may I say, in the spirit of reciprocity; back at 'ya!
This would definitely be helpful for my paper on gift giving ☺️☺️☺️ Thank you!
You're welcome!
Great explanation, very clear. Thanks!
Thank you Ruthiee!
First day of Cultural Anthropology on Monday. Soo excited! Thanks for this warm-up!
I hope it all went well!
Very helpful video, but Marshall Sahlins' definition of 'negative reciprocity' is not about "giving something bad". He uses it to identify the types of exchange where someone attempts to get something for nothing. He equates this type of exchange to an exploitative relationship that is common in economic transactions.
Yes maybe I did Sahlins a disservice. I think it's an outcome of my own perspective; that Sahlins romanticizes reciprocity and demonizes transactions. I tried to explain my perspective in my article "The morbid nexus"
Great succinct video and very informative thanks
Thanks Luke; I appreciate it.
Hola Nicholas, podrías activar los subtítulos al español en este vídeo, por favor. Saludos desde Ecuador.
Hola mi amigo. I just corrected the English subtitles and the added Spanish (Latin America). Can you let me know if that works? Saludos desde Melbourne, Australia!
thanks so much! I missed class today and you covered what i missed. Im taking cultural anthropology/
Thanks, hope it helped.
Negative reciprocity is an exchange of unequal goods, but not "goods" with a negative connotation?
Fred punches me so I punch Fred. When I punch Fred, I reciprocate his punch. From memory, that's what Sahlins would call negative reciprocity. So you might be onto something, Vladimir. A punch, nasty gossip, a cold shoulder, and giving someone the 'silent treatment', are more like services than goods.
Hi! Thank you for your video, it really helps a lot! I have a question, Isn't it that anthropologist Marshall Sahlins identified three modes of reciprocity: Generalized Reciprocity. Balanced Reciprocity. Negative Reciprocity? Did specific reciprocity involve in it? Thank you!
Hi Xiang Ran Liu; sorry by 'specific' I think I should have said 'balanced'. For some reason, I think I have fallen into a habit of using the term "specific" when referring to "balanced reciprocity". Thanks for picking me up on this. I'll change info for the video to reflect that!
People have children also for reciprocity to be taken care of when they are older and the concept of altruistic behavior in society also secretly wants a return on investment.
This was great, thx!
You're welcome.
Thank you for this!
You're welcome.
Thank you
Thank you for watching!
nice job, but you forgot to explain Malinowski
Thank you sir.
Thank you too!
Great video Nick! Mailing address to follow :)
No, really, this is a great series.
Thanks for your kind words.
very informative video. Feel free to send me a golden watch in that I can reciprocate by giving you linguistic perspectives on the concept of reciprocity.
Very good Toby, but tell you what, you can send me your watch first! 😂
I take some Hau from this
And you'd be welcome to.
Thank you Nick, Great stuff learning anthropology after listening to so much mainstream political scientist bullshit
Thanks Chaufa, I guess each discipline has its strengths and weaknesses. I don't read much pol sci, but whenever I do, I find it fascinating.
Who's here from ASU Organizational Leadership?
your deduction from anthropological ideas onto the nonexistence of what you refer to as a "true gift" is not the kind of deduction anthropology as a science deals with. this might be your personal deduction but not a valid one within the scientific community.
to make your mistake more clearly: you can't explain non-anthropological concepts with anthropological concepts as much as you can't explain quantuum physics by means of anthropology.
I try to understand your thought... Which kind of deduction anthropology as a science deals with? Is it deduction in Anthropology or Induction? Which scientific community are you talking about? Is there a global anthropological community with a common consensus? And what is then reciprocity in (cultural) Anthropology?