Marcel Mauss
A nephew of Émile Durkheim, known for his work on the 'gift economy' and the concept of the 'total social phenomenon'.
Quotes by Marcel Mauss
The economy is embedded in social relations.
The study of history is essential for understanding society.
The past is not dead; it lives on in the present.
We must be critical of our own assumptions and biases.
The task of the sociologist is to make the invisible visible.
The social world is a complex and multifaceted reality.
There is no single, universal human nature.
Culture is what makes us human.
The study of anthropology is a journey into the heart of humanity.
To understand others is to understand ourselves.
To give and to receive is a condition of being human.
The gift is a total social phenomenon.
In Polynesian, Maori, Melanesian, and many other societies, the supreme rule of law is that one must always give, and the more one gives, the greater one becomes.
The obligation to give, to receive, and to repay forms the basis of social life.
Societies are built upon the exchange of gifts, not just goods.
The spirit of the gift lingers in the object given.
Exchange is not merely economic; it is moral and social.
Primitive societies teach us that reciprocity is the essence of humanity.
The gift creates a bond between giver and receiver that cannot be severed.
In the act of giving, we affirm our place in the social order.