Barter, Exchange and Value by Caroline Humphrey

Barter, Exchange and Value by Caroline Humphrey

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Barter, Exchange and Value by Caroline Humphrey

This book concerns barter, a transaction in which objects are exchanged directly for one another without the use of money. Economists treat barter as an inefficient alternative to market exchange, and assume that it is normal only in 'primitive' economies or marks the breakdown of more developed exchange mechanisms. For their part, anthropologists have been more interested in the social and moral complexities of the 'gift', and treat barter dismissively as mere haggling. The authors of this collection do not accept that barter occupies a residual space between monetary and gift economies. Using accounts from different parts of the world, they aim to demonstrate that it is more than a simple and self-evident economic institution. Barter may constitute a mode of exchange with its own social characteristics occupying a specific moral space. This novel treatment of barter represents an original and topical addition to the literature on economic anthropology.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780521406826
ISBN 10 052140682X
Title Barter, Exchange and Value
Author Caroline Humphrey
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Year published 1992-06-11
Number of pages 212
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.