The Gift
内容简介
In this, his most famous work, Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) presented to the world a book which revolutionized our understanding of some of the basic structures of society. A renowned anthropologist, Mauss sought in this work to transcend empirical observation and reach deeper realities. In so doing, he inaugurated a new era for the social sciences. By identifying the complex web of exchange and obligation involved in the act of giving, Mauss called into question many of our social conventions and economic systems. As L'evi-Strauss remarked, "Few have managed to read it without feeling the whole gamut of the emotions: the pounding heart, the throbbing head, the mind flooded with the imperious, though not yet definable, certainty of being present at a decisive event in the evolution of science."
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作者简介
马塞尔·莫斯（Marcel Mauss, 1872-1950），犹太人，法国人类学家。他是现代人类学理论的重要奠基者之一，有“20世纪法国民族学之父”之称。莫斯以其渊博的民族学知识和卓越的洞见能力，对人类学的交换、巫术、身体等研究领域作出了开创性的贡献。
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目录
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读书文摘
我们不仅要把握这些社会中的观念与规则，还要了解人、群体以及他们的行动。我们观察大众与体系，就如同观察自动运转的机械，如同观察海洋中的章鱼和海葵。我们会看到为数众多的人、运动着的力，并看到人和力在其境界与情感中流动。
根据《礼物》，劳动者为社会奉献了一生，社会不能在他们拿到薪水之后就算结清账目了；劳动者在年老或失业之后，社会仍要于他们体面的生活。由此，莫斯否定了当时建立社会政策所基于的慈善原则。
我们无法选择发生在自己身上的事情，但可以选择如何对自己的经历进行回应。
苦难是人生的常态，而受害者心态则可以选择。 Suffering is universal. But victimhood is optional.
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