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Anthropological theories of value attempt to expand on the traditional theories of value used by economists or ethicists. They are often broader in scope than the theories of value of Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, etc. usually including sociological, political, institutional, and historical perspectives (transdisciplinarity). Some have influenced feminist economics. Buyers bargain for good prices while sellers put forth their best front in Chichicastenango Market, Guatemala. ...
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Adam Smith, FRSE, (baptised June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790) was a Scottish political economist and moral philosopher. ...
David Ricardo (April 18, 1772 – September 11, 1823), a political economist, is often credited with systematizing economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists. ...
John Stuart Mill (May 20, 1806 – May 8, 1873), an English philosopher and political economist, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. ...
Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was an immensely influential German philosopher, political economist, and socialist revolutionary. ...
Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ...
Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ...
History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ...
Transdisciplinarity is a principle of scientific research that describes the application of scientific approaches to problems that transcend the boundaries of conventional academic disciplines. ...
Feminist economics broadly refers to a developing branch of economics that applies feminist insights and critiques to mainstream economics. ...
The basic premise is that economic activities can only be fully understood in the context of the society that creates them. The concept of "value" is a social construct, and as such is defined by the culture using the concept. Yet we can gain some insights into modern patterns of exchange, value, and wealth by examining previous societies. An anthropological approach to economic processes allows us to critically examine the cultural biases inherent in the principles of modern economics. Anthropological linguistics is a related field which looks at the terms we use to describe economic relations and the ecologies they are set within. Many anthropological economists (or economic anthropologists) are reacting against what they see as the portrayal of modern society as an economic machine that merely produces and consumes. Anthropological linguistics is the study of language through human genetics and human development. ...
Marcel Mauss and Bronislaw Malinowski for example wrote about objects that circulate in society without being consumed. Georges Bataille wrote about objects which are destroyed, but not consumed. Bruce Owens talks about objects of value that are neither circulating nor consumed (e.g. gold reserves, warehoused paintings, family heirlooms). Marcel Mauss (May 10, 1872- February 10, 1950) was a French sociologist best known for his role in elaborating on and securing the legacy of his uncle, Émile Durkheim and the Annee Sociologique. ...
For the Olympic champion athlete see Bronislaw Malinowski (athlete). ...
George Bataille Georges Bataille (September 16, 1897 – July 9, 1962) was a French writer, anthropologist and philosopher, though he avoided this last term himself. ...
An heirloom in general is any old item or antique passed down from one generation to another. ...
David Graeber attempts to synthesize the insights of Karl Marx and Marcel Mauss. He sees value as a model for human “meaning-making”. Starting with Marxist definitions of consumption and production, he introduces Mauss’s idea of "objects that are not consumed" and constructs a list of things that are neither consumption nor production. Graeber’s list includes those human activities that are not consumption, in the narrow sense of simply purchasing something, and are not production, in the sense of creating or modifying something intended for sale or exchange. It includes The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...
- cooking a meal,
- extinguishing a fire,
- dressing and undressing,
- applying makeup,
- watching television,
- playing in a band,
- falling in love,
- reading,
- listening to music,
- going to a museum or gallery,
- taking a photograph,
- gardening,
- writing,
- conducting a coming of age ceremony,
- going window shopping,
- doing sports,
- acting,
- teaching,
- having an argument,
- playing games,
- having sex,
- attending a religious service,
- looking at old photos.
The Chinese character for love (愛) —its parts indicating (top to bottom): That which gives breath (ie. ...
A sepia-tinted photograph of an English couple, taken in 1895. ...
A gardener Gardening is the art of growing plants with the goal of crafting a purposeful landscape. ...
Criticisms
Economists typically use the term consumption in a way that is far broader than merely purchasing something and then tossing it. It is quite common to talk about the consumption of time. Many of the items on his list would be considered either production or consumption by most economists. Also Gary Becker's household production functions and similar topics note that people often purchase goods and then combine them with time to produce something that has meaning or practicality to them (which produce utility). Consumers often gain utility not directly from the goods that they purchase, but instead they transform the goods by a household production function into something that they value. ...
In economics, utility is a measure of the happiness or satisfaction gained consuming good and services. ...
Further reading - Graeber, David: Towards an Anthropological Theory of Value (ISBN 0312240457)
- Owens, Bruce McCoy: "Unruly Readings: Neofetishes, Paradoxical Singularities, and the Violence of Authentic Value," in Ethnos 64(2): 249-262.
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