The Gift and its Paradoxes

Beyond Mauss

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Gift and its Paradoxes by Olli Pyyhtinen, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Olli Pyyhtinen ISBN: 9781317030362
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 3, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Olli Pyyhtinen
ISBN: 9781317030362
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 3, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Bringing social theory and philosophy to bear on popular movies, novels, myths, and fairy tales, The Gift and its Paradoxes explores the ambiguity of the gift: it is at once both a relation and a thing, alienable and inalienable, present and poison. Challenging the nature of giving as reciprocal, the book engages critically with the work of Mauss and develops a new theory of the gift according to which the gift cannot be reduced to a model of exchange, but must instead entail a loss or sacrifice. Ultimately, the gift is examined in the book as the impossible occurrence of gratuitous giving. In addition to exploring the conditions of possibility and impossibility of the gift, the book draws on the thought of figures such as Derrida, Serres, Simmel, Cixous, Irigaray and Heidegger to argue for the relevance of the phenomenon of the gift to broader issues in contemporary social sciences. It takes up questions concerning the constitution of community and the processes by which people are included in or excluded from it, gender relations, materiality, the economy, and the possibility that death itself could be a gift, in the form of euthanasia or self-sacrifice. A rigorous yet accessible examination of the phenomenon of the gift in relation to a range of contemporary concerns, The Gift and its Paradoxes will appeal to scholars and students within sociology, philosophy, anthropology, political theory and film and literature studies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bringing social theory and philosophy to bear on popular movies, novels, myths, and fairy tales, The Gift and its Paradoxes explores the ambiguity of the gift: it is at once both a relation and a thing, alienable and inalienable, present and poison. Challenging the nature of giving as reciprocal, the book engages critically with the work of Mauss and develops a new theory of the gift according to which the gift cannot be reduced to a model of exchange, but must instead entail a loss or sacrifice. Ultimately, the gift is examined in the book as the impossible occurrence of gratuitous giving. In addition to exploring the conditions of possibility and impossibility of the gift, the book draws on the thought of figures such as Derrida, Serres, Simmel, Cixous, Irigaray and Heidegger to argue for the relevance of the phenomenon of the gift to broader issues in contemporary social sciences. It takes up questions concerning the constitution of community and the processes by which people are included in or excluded from it, gender relations, materiality, the economy, and the possibility that death itself could be a gift, in the form of euthanasia or self-sacrifice. A rigorous yet accessible examination of the phenomenon of the gift in relation to a range of contemporary concerns, The Gift and its Paradoxes will appeal to scholars and students within sociology, philosophy, anthropology, political theory and film and literature studies.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Local Content in Procurement by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book China's Contingencies and Globalization by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book The Meaning of Life in Romantic Poetry and Poetics by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book George Gissing by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Pacific Tales by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book The Water, Food, Energy and Climate Nexus by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Contact and Context by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book A Handbook of Soil Terminology, Correlation and Classification by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Brief Psychotherapy with the Latino Immigrant Client by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Making Policy Work by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Digital Interactions in Developing Countries by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book James Joyce and Nationalism by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Interpersonal Criminology by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book Travels in Arabia by Olli Pyyhtinen
Cover of the book The Government and Politics of Sport (RLE Sports Studies) by Olli Pyyhtinen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy