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3 - The Meaning of the Gift

from Part II - Legal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2023

Lawrence Rosen
Affiliation:
Princeton University, New Jersey
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Summary

A gift, my grandmother used to say, is just a loan. And certainly in many parts of the world gifts, far from being merely free-will offerings, are what bind people together in relationships of felt indebtedness. As one traces the meaning and forms of gift-giving in the Middle East and North Africa, one appreciates that the lines along which gifts flow and the meanings that are attached to them are, like the traces of one’s passing, an indicator of the bonds of obligations formed. In a sense, the running imbalance of gifts thus underscores the nature of many social ties and their negotiation in this part of the world and with them a keener appreciation of how they inform the encounters that sustain the social order.

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Encounters with Islam
Studies in the Anthropology of Muslim Cultures
, pp. 52 - 60
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Meaning of the Gift
  • Lawrence Rosen, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Encounters with Islam
  • Online publication: 09 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009389013.006
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  • The Meaning of the Gift
  • Lawrence Rosen, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Encounters with Islam
  • Online publication: 09 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009389013.006
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Meaning of the Gift
  • Lawrence Rosen, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Encounters with Islam
  • Online publication: 09 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009389013.006
Available formats
×