Description
Book SynopsisFor philosophers, the gift fascinates because it demands disinterested generosity. Yet anthropology offers another view. Reciprocity, rather than disinterestedness, Hénaff shows, is central to ceremonial giving, alliance, and the social bond. From actual gift practices, Hénaff develops an original and profound theory of symbolism, the social, and the relationship between self and other.
Table of ContentsTranslator’s Preface | vii
Preliminary Directions | 1
1. Derrida: The Gift, the Impossible, and the Exclusion of Reciprocity | 11
2. Propositions I: The Ceremonial Gift—Alliance and Recognition | 30
3. Levinas: Beyond Reciprocity—For-the-Other and the Costly Gift | 52
4. Propositions II: Approaches to Reciprocity | 77
5. Marion: Gift without Exchange—Toward Pure Givenness | 95
6. Ricoeur: Reciprocity and Mutuality—From the Golden Rule to Agape | 124
7. Philosophy and Anthropology: With Lefort and Descombes | 148
8. Propositions III: The Dual Relationship and the Third Party | 169
Postliminary Directions | 199
Acknowledgments | 213
Notes | 215
Bibliography | 245
Index | 253
