In Marcel Mauss' most famous work, 'The Gift', he puts forward the idea that gifts are never 'free' but rather create a sense of obligation in the receiver: "What power resides in the object given that causes its recipient to pay it back?".
In Mauss' theory, the exchange of gifts is about constructing and maintaining social relationships. Is a 'gift' therefore a 'debt'? Must a gift always be returned? What are the invisible qualities connected to the gift (an obligation, a sense of well-being)?
What kind of gift is Robin Hood's stealing from the rich to give to the poor?
What kinds of exchange are taking place when people create and use open-source software?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source
No comments:
Post a Comment