gift

gift economy

thing

work of art

nationality

American

occupation / innovator as

poet

essayist

is at the center of creation of community... the true purpose of any exchange or transfer of objects is of increasing social cohesion.

The picture of a gift economy that Hyde presents is thus tied very closely to the creation of community. In fact, one theme of the book involves the nature of a gift: that its property value or consumption value is largely irrelevant, and that the true purpose of any exchange or transfer of objects is of increasing social cohesion.

is characterized by the 'vector of the increase', which is to say that 'giving' creates further abundance which follows the object, while in commodity exchange 'abundance' is horded and stays behind as profit.

What does this flow of gift objects from person to person lead to' Hyde says that gift circles 'give increase.' Put differently, since the purpose of gift exchange is to facilitate the flow of 'social value,' a gift that is kept does not serve any purpose. One that is 'paid forward' does. 'Now that we have seen the figure of the circle we can understand what seems at first to be a paradox of gift exchange: when the gift is used, it is not used up,' observes Hyde. 'Quite the opposite, in fact: the gift that is not used will be lost, while the one that is passed along remains abundant.' This observation contrasts gift economies with market economies, since, as Hyde further notes, 'The distinction lies in what we might call the vector of the increase: in gift exchange it, the increase, stays in motion and follows the object, while in commodity exchange it stays behind as profit.'

is marked by a kind of decentralized cohesiveness which emerges in the wake of the many interconnected relationships that form when gifts are circulated.

A first critical link between gifts and the creation of community is made early in his book: 'To begin with, unlike the sale of a commodity, the giving of a gift tends to establish a relationship between the parties involved. Furthermore, when gifts circulate within a group, their commerce leaves a series of interconnected relationships in its wake, and a kind of decentralized cohesiveness emerges.'34

1s 2ature can change based on the way we treat it.

The space transitions from personal to something in between personal and public. As Hyde points out, 'The way we treat a thing can change its nature.'

 exists simultaneously in two economies; a market economy and a gift economy, but where there is no 'gift' there is no art.

Works of art exist simultaneously in two 'economies,' a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift, there is no art.'33

Lewis Hyde

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Lewis Hyde