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Medientyp:
E-Artikel
Titel:
The social life of a "free" gift
Beteiligte:
VENKATESAN, SOUMHYA
Erschienen:
Wiley Subscription Services, 2011
Erschienen in:American Ethnologist
Sprache:
Englisch
DOI:
10.1111/j.1548-1425.2010.01291.x
ISSN:
0094-0496;
1548-1425
Entstehung:
Anmerkungen:
Beschreibung:
<p>In this article, I continue the anthropological, interest in gifting. I trace the story of a historical failed gift of a South Indian woven mat to Queen Elizabeth II, which, in later accounts was transformed into a successful gift. Identifying this mythical successful gift as a "free gift" (following Jacques Derrida) reveals the power of descriptions in making relations. I argue that the transformation of an unsuccessful gift into a mythical free gift is a product of magnification and supplementation, with concomitant effects on forms of sociality and personhood. I also explore the relationship between gifts and commodities through a focus on what might be termed "inalienable" commodities.</p>