Talk:The Gift (essay)

Irven DeVore
I have to say: if Irven DeVore is quoted accurately (no citation is given) he has misread Mauss. The fact that human relationships entail obligations and that people have expectations of reciprocity does not mean that giving is therefore selfish. - Jmabel | Talk 07:26, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Agonistic Giving
I believe the article should read "agonistic" rather than "antagonistic". Mauss repeatedly suggested that certain forms of gift-giving were agonistic: competitive rather than hostile. He did not say this applied to gift giving "at certain times" (as the article states), but rather to certain practices in certain cultures (e.g. the Potlatch. Other gift giving practices were never agonistic (e.g. kula).  I would not describe this as "selfless" either, however (nor, in many cases, as selfish).  I believe in all his examples, gift-giving benefited the giver, while in most cases also benefiting others and society as a whole. Geofg 21:07, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Freely distributed online?
Just wondering if anyone knows of a free source for The Gift? Perhaps its copyright has expired and/or someone has posted it online? In English? Smilo Don (talk) 17:33, 30 March 2008 (UTC)