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.
Author(s): Thomas Widlok
Series: Critical Topics in Contemporary Anthropology
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 241
Tags: Antropology, Economy Of Sharing
Cover......Page 1
Half Title......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
List of figures and tables......Page 11
Introduction: Sharing – an alternative......Page 14
Introduction......Page 24
Ceci n’est pas un don......Page 25
The myth of reciprocity......Page 35
The realities of sharing......Page 44
Conclusion......Page 50
Origins of sharing......Page 53
Assessing the primate heritage......Page 55
The sharing curve......Page 57
From origin to function......Page 61
The risk-reduction function......Page 68
The levelling function......Page 71
The versatility of sharing......Page 74
Conclusion......Page 79
Introduction......Page 82
Sharing as a complex institution......Page 83
Sharing and kinship......Page 87
The language of sharing......Page 91
Sharing and bodily presence......Page 95
Opportunities instead of obligations......Page 101
Making and unmaking demands......Page 106
Conclusion......Page 110
Introduction......Page 112
Affording to share......Page 113
Sharing big items and big packages......Page 117
Sharing commensality......Page 121
Sharing a place......Page 123
Sharing Halbzeug in a community of practice......Page 129
Conclusion......Page 134
Introduction......Page 136
To hold a share – and to hold on to it......Page 137
Corporate holding and incorporated holding......Page 138
Becoming a shareholder......Page 144
Being a claimant......Page 148
Sharing in the time of shareholding......Page 150
Conclusion......Page 156
Introduction......Page 159
Sharing economy as the answer – what was the question?......Page 160
When “sharing” is renting (out)......Page 163
When “sharing” means having and insisting on keeping......Page 165
When “sharers” insist on giving......Page 170
When paying tax means enabling sharing......Page 175
When “sharing” is just a button......Page 180
Conclusion......Page 184
Introduction......Page 186
Oversharing – sharing all over?......Page 187
Premature giving......Page 192
Belated giving......Page 194
Picking the right time......Page 197
Ultimate sharing: Sharing to the end – but not beyond......Page 202
Conclusion......Page 207
Conclusions: The limits of sharing and the finite self......Page 210
Bibliography......Page 220
Index......Page 235
