How to do Things With Gifts: Charity, Corruption and Friendship Across Cultures

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In all human societies, people exchange goods and services, From Adam Smith onwards, economists have emphasized the central importance of the "free" market, where self-interested individuals strike bargains, and simultaneously expand humanity's "common stock." Yet costly practices-expensive weddings, charitable donations, corporate hospitality-still flourish, which appear designed to build human relationships rather than generate hard profits. And in today's global economy, personal gifts remain an essential part of doing business in places like China, Japan, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Where mainstream economistic analysis sees inefficiency or corruption, this course explores classic and contemporary alternative understandings of gift-giving's cultural significance.