NOTES ANTH FINAL Production and Exchange System of regulating distributing and consuming resources o Form a pattern or structure Karl Polanyi o Economic historian o Felt historically distinct societies had very differing economic o Fashionable to think contemporary analysis could be applied to Polanyi thought inappropriate to assume that ancient societies operate on the same basis as contemporary societies o Relative culturalists o Prior to late 18th century markets were not the primary economic organizations ancient world principle Trade was carried on administratively Prices fixed by government Laws of supply and demand were not as dominant Worked hard to control and limit the scope of supply and Restricted demand Distrustful of merchants merchant ghetto Two meanings of the notion of economic Formalist neoclassical economics universally defined based on the rational profit maximizing individual o Human beings make choices in their allocation of scarce means to achieve alternative ends o Market governed by laws of supply and demand Substantivist not universally defined cultural context is important there are different motives for economic transactions besides profit motive Q Polanyi s scheme of allocation Reciprocity redistribution and market exchange 1 Market Exchange exchange of goods at prices determined by the law of supply and demand 2 Redistribution systematic movement of good towards administrative center and re allotment by the authorities Depends on socially recognized hierarchical rank system Legally defined Eg Modern tax system a Reciprocal transactions are set where 1 individual is the center who has more reciprocal transactions than anyone else b Egalitarian redistribution i Partners are more or less equal c Stratified form tributary i Can occur in face to face communities ii Can occur over huge areas 1 Roman Empire iii Relies on small producers providing resources to a center 3 Reciprocity exchange of goods between people in nonmarket non hierarchical bound relationships E g Trobrianders Kula Found in hunter gatherer societies Societies where there is a minimal degree of specialization and groups are small When you accept a gift you have an obligation Mafioso o Building a fund of favors M Sahlins RECIPROCITY generalized those who give goods or services do not expect the recipient to make a return of goods and services at any definite time in the future balanced goods and services are given to someone with the expectation that a return in goods and services of roughly equal value will occur negative both parties attempt to gain all they can from the exchange while giving up as little as possible TROBRIAND ISLANDERS Avunculocal post mariical residence living in MB s residence Matrilineal society lineage traced through mother Patriarchial FSD patrilaterla cross cousin marriage is preferred strengthens ties with father s Delayed direct exchange man marries women from grandmother s lineage Does not produce hierarchy exchange of women given in one generation lineage returned in next Q Kula of Trobrianders Papua New Guinea A system of ceremonial non competitive exchange practiced in Melanesia to establish and reinforce alliances Balanced Reciprocal exchange between permanent contractual partners of treasure items valuables Right to take part in Kula is guarded A man has a set of people he can give and receive Whom he gives one class of valuables arm shells mwali live in one direction No prestige in keeping valuable passed on stories get attached about great men Whereas those who he gives shell necklaces live in the other direction who owned it motivation system of ranking and prestige stories attached to kula treasures the higher your rank the more partners you have in the kula ring kula forms contractual ALLIES based on balanced reciprocity how you select partners and the luck in inheriting partners is KEY Q Urigubu Trobriand custom in which man makes annual contribution of half of his yam harvest to his sister s husband Spheres of reciprocity urigubu terms of subsistence goods crossed with redistribution Leads to youla terms of treasure Make sure sister will have many children to carry on matrilineal lineage Q Bohannon Reading Substantive POV Economists view purpose of money as 1 Money as means of exchange allows exchange without finding someone who wants what you are offering and is giving what you want 2 Money as standard of value Everything can be given a price 3 Money as means of payment universally acceptable to everyone Tiv Economy in Nigeria Characterized by three distinct economic spheres in which different goods were traded within spheres Multicentric exchangeable items fall into more than one category each marked with different morals 1 Subsistence Goods distributed through gift giving barter Free and uncontrolled market E g food 2 Prestige Brass rods served as general currency Could be stored medium of exchange Slaves cattle medicine 3 Supreme limited range of goods Rights in women Two kinds of exchange among spheres o Conveyance Within spheres No moral judgment and conversion involved o Conversion Between spheres Clashing moralities Marriage before Europeans Sister exchange To pay off debt eldest daughter is returned to group of her mother If women was not available debt was created Collapse of Tiv Economy British established a head tax on Tiv people which had to be paid in cash a currency foreign to them Introduction of modern money to Tiv society led to an economic collapse as money could buy goods from any sphere even women money broke the sphere system Formalist s argues against Bohannan that the economic spheres can be represented using the modern economic system These spheres represent goods of distinct liquidity subsistence goods being most liquid Subsistence goods are change prestige goods are big bills Level of goods can also represent their scarcity women being the most scarce of goods SEE POWERPOINT Kabre Southwestern edge of Africa Similar apparent spheres Noticed that there is a hierarchy of relationships directly related to the spheres converting objects into social relationship Patrilineal Way of preventing a universal currency that can buy any and all goods from any place Exchange spheres exist to identify certain types of exchange relationships Focuses not on the objects but on the people who transact Hierarchy of exchange relationships Lowest subsistence trading food Friendly relationship Second Wealth trading higher degree of intensity