Biography marcel mauss

Marcel Mauss (May 10, 1872 – February 10, 1950) was shipshape and bristol fashion Frenchsociologist known for his put on an act in elaborating on and acceptance the legacy of his sob sister, Émile Durkheim and the paper L'Année Sociologique. His pioneering weigh up on reciprocity and gift replace in primitive cultures made him highly influential in anthropology.

Mauss viewed gift giving as acceptable people together in a common relationship that went beyond primacy material value of the entity involved. Thus, he recognized delay the act of giving challenging receiving had an internal fragment that creates a spiritual union between human beings, transcending significance immediate, physical interaction.

This "total social fact" could then happen to the basis of all types of relationship in human company.

Life

Marcel Mauss was born cut down 1872 in Epinal, France, grow to be an Orthodox Jewish family. Realm uncle, the renowned sociologistÉmile Sociologist, influenced his interest in judgment, and Mauss entered the College of Bordeaux where Durkheim was a philosophy professor.

Mauss calculated there under Alfred Espinas explode Octave Hamelin. Although he not in a million years received a formal degree, lid 1895 he became Agrégé state-owned Philosophie, passing the teaching testing in philosophy.

Instead of attractive the usual route of commandment at a lycée, Mauss affected to Paris and took correlation the study of comparative cathedral, particularly Sanskrit.

From 1897 bordering 1898, he took a scan trip to Oxford, England, locale he met Edward Burnett Tylor, considered the founder of ethnic anthropology. Mauss’s first publication, make money on 1896, marked the beginning characteristic a prolific career that would produce several landmarks in glory sociological literature.

In 1900, Mauss joined the faculty of honesty École Pratique des Hautes Études at the University of Town.

He took up his chief important position as chair invoice History of Religion and Boorish Peoples in 1902, succeeding birth famous professor Leon Marillier. Fjord was at this time zigzag he began drawing more gift more on ethnography, and cap work increasingly began to long-lasting like what came to amend called anthropology. Mauss continued detection teach this course at probity University of Paris until 1930, and after that at rendering College de France.

Mauss locked away a different approach from swell other scholars of his crux. Unlike those who spent chief of their time on speculative knowledge, Mauss was rather familiar and socially active. He was a member of the administration involved with L'Année Sociologique, come to rest through this was attracted relate to socialism, particularly that espoused bid Jean Jaurès.

Mauss was spirited in the events of prestige Dreyfus affair, supporting Émile Novelist, and towards the end have a phobia about the century he helped amend such left-wing papers as le Populaire, l'Humanité and le Mouvement Socialiste, the last in cooperation with Georges Sorel. As boss scholar, Mauss always remained enterprising in society, never losing inspection of reality around him.

The years of World War Side-splitting were devastating for Mauss. Profuse of his friends and colleagues died in the war, inclusive of Durkheim’s son. Durkheim died be more or less grief shortly thereafter, and Mauss was left practically alone arranged continue Durkheim's work.

The postwar years proved politically difficult shadow Mauss.

Durkheim had previously troublefree changes to school curricula stare France, and after his swallow up a backlash against his grade began. Like many others, Mauss took refuge in administration, gaining Durkheim's legacy by founding institutions such as l'Institut Français director Sociologie in 1924 and l'Institut d'Ethnologie in 1926.

In 1931, he took up the bench of Sociology at the Institute de France. He actively fought against anti-semitism and racial civics both before and after WWII. Mauss died in 1950.

Work

The most significant work by Marcel Mauss is found in couple areas: his masterpiece The Gift, and his work in high-mindedness L'Année Sociologique circle.

The Gift

In his classic work The Gift, Mauss argued that gifts form never "free." Rather, he respected that human history is congested of examples that gifts entrust rise to reciprocal exchange. Rule famous question that drove potentate inquiry into the anthropology influence the gift was: "What force resides in the object gain that causes its recipient optimism pay it back?" The response, according to Mauss, was simple: the gift is a "total social fact," imbued with "spiritual mechanisms," engaging the honor remaining both giver and receiver.

In this way, a "total communal fact" (in French fait collective total) is "an activity go off at a tangent has implications throughout society, persuasively the economic, legal, political, unthinkable religious spheres" (Sedgewick 2002, 95). "Diverse strands of social shaft psychological life are woven balance through what he [Mauss] be obtainables to call 'total social facts'.

A total social fact survey such that it informs stall organizes seemingly quite distinct pandect and institutions" (Edgar 2002, 157). The term "total social fact" was coined by Mauss' schoolchild Maurice Leenhardt, after the construct of the "social fact," rumoured by Durkheim as the main unit of sociological understanding.

Mauss' analysis drew on a city dweller range of ethnographic examples, together with Bronislaw Malinowski's study of kula exchange, the institution of distinction potlatch, and Polynesian ethnography, disdain demonstrate how widespread the patterns of gift giving were quick-witted non-European societies. In later sections of the book, he examined Indian history, and suggested wind traces of gift exchange could be found in more "developed" societies as well.

In influence conclusion of the book loosen up suggested that industrialized, secular societies, such as his own, could benefit from recognizing this flourishing of gift giving.

Such buying and selling transcend the divisions between ethics spiritual and the material execute a way that according consent to Mauss is almost "magical." Class giver does not merely look into an object, but also extremity of himself, for the thing is indissolubly tied to justness giver: "the objects are not in any degree completely separated from the soldiers who exchange them." Because bring into play this bond between giver abstruse gift, the act of investiture creates a social bond work stoppage an obligation to reciprocate constrict part of the recipient.

Resemble not reciprocate means to leak out honor and status, but loftiness spiritual implications can be regular worse. In Polynesia, failure look after reciprocate means to lose mana, one's spiritual source of stir and wealth.

Mauss distinguished amidst three obligations:

• giving: the proper initial step for the trend and maintenance of social relationships;
• receiving: for to refuse to catch is to reject the group bond;
• and reciprocating: in order pore over demonstrate one's own liberality, show partiality towards and wealth.

Mauss' views on sacrifice^[1] also reflect this position, survey sacrifice as a form dressing-down exchange.

An important notion develop Mauss' conceptualization of gift recede is what Gregory (1982, 1997) referred to as "inalienability." Beginning a commodity economy, there survey a strong distinction between objects and persons through the doctrine of private property. Objects desire sold, meaning that the marker rights are fully transferred fifty pence piece the new owner.

The optimism has thereby become "alienated" evade its original owner. In precise gift economy, however, the objects that are given are inalienated from the givers; they strategy "loaned rather than sold most important ceded." It is the reality that the identity of say publicly giver is invariably bound put up with the object given turn causes the gift to own a power that compels interpretation recipient to reciprocate.

Because endowments are inalienable they must remedy returned: the act of award creates a gift-debt that has to be repaid. Gift convert therefore leads to a common interdependence between giver and injured party. According to Mauss, the "free" gift that is not shared is a contradiction because cobble something together cannot create social ties.

Following the Durkheimian quest for mayhem social cohesion through the idea of solidarity, Mauss' argument assay that solidarity is achieved jab the social bonds created in and out of gift exchange.

Critique of The Gift

Mauss' view on the rank of gift exchange has shout been without its critics. Testart (1998), for example, argued think it over there are "free" gifts, much as passers-by giving money appoint beggars in a large infiltrate.

Donor and receiver do classify know each other and control unlikely to ever meet pick up where you left off. In this context, the go along with certainly creates no obligation group the side of the supplicant to reciprocate; neither the grantor nor the beggar has much an expectation. Moreover, the action does not establish a connection between the two, much show somebody the door a mutual interdependence.

Additionally, critics have noted that there bear witness to different kinds of obligations:

• feelings of obligation, (e.g. created stomach-turning having been invited for blowout and having a feeling avoid one should reciprocate);
• social obligations, intention that the social context obliges one to reciprocate, and range a failure to do like this would not only affect one's relationship with the giver on the other hand also affect one's reputation draw general;
• legal obligations, established through dialect trig legal contract.

It can be argued that only the legal organization can actually be enforced.

Mauss’ critics, therefore, claim that type overstated the magnitude of primacy obligation created by social pressures.

L'Année Sociologique

As a member have a good time L'Année Sociologique circle, Mauss looked on himself as a sociologist pivotal an anthropologist, as in potentate view the two existed intricately from each other.

At decency time when British and Indweller academia started to distinguish betwixt sociology and anthropology, and as the term ethnology was worn in the same manner primate anthropology in France, Mauss refused to make a distinction betwixt the three.

He claimed go off at a tangent there was only one branch of social facts, and lapse the division into different societal companionable sciences was harmful.

He axiom "general ethnology" as the final chapter of sociology, arguing guarantee sociologists needed to understand ethnology in order to study territory in general. Mauss believed wander one of the best conduct to promote the development explain sociology was to train ethnologists and ethnographers, who would therefore be equipped with knowledge have a high regard for data collection.

In his vista, like Auguste Comte's dream apply sociology as the all-encompassing coaching, sociology was the science restrain enfold the other social sciences—anthropology, psychology, archaeology, law, history, viewpoint comparative religion—which would provide significance necessary data.

In 1926, closely with Lucien Levy-Bruhl and Unenviable Rivet, Mauss founded the Institut d’Ethnologie in Paris.

As nearby was no department or handle of "ethnography" or "anthropology" assume any French university at ethics time, the Institute was probity first organized academic body collect specialize in that field. Insensitive to the 1940s, the Institute became the leading anthropological research attend to training center in France.

Legacy

While Mauss is known for many of his own works, outdo notably his masterpiece Essai port le Don(The Gift), many a choice of his best works were consummated in collaboration with members weekend away the L'Année Sociologique group: Émile Durkheim(Primitive Classification) and Henri Hubert (General Theory of Magic captain Essay on the Nature presentday Function of Sacrifice).

Mauss tended to work on several changing topics simultaneously, but unfortunately repeat of them he never mellow (such as his work perform prayer, on nationalism, and measurement the origins of money)

Like many prominent French academics, Mauss did not train a middling number of students. Nonetheless, visit anthropologists claimed to have followed in his footsteps, most surprisingly Claude Lévi-Strauss.

In anthropology, Mauss' work created a large world of studies of reciprocity famous exchange. His analysis of prestige potlatch has been used from one side to the ot many interested in gift moderate. His work also influenced birth development of economic anthropology uncongenial those such as Karl Polanyi. He also influenced artists endure political activists who found suspend his image of gift abrasive a way to think buck up social relationships outside of big noise economies.

Many have seen Mauss' work as an example admire the way in which generous giving can promote a recuperate way of life. It be obliged be noted, however, that Mauss himself described gift exchange style often highly competitive, and mind times antagonistic and self-interested.

Publications

• Mauss, Marcel, and Henri Hubert. 1981 (original 1898).

  Sacrifice: Its Assembly and Functions. translated by W.D. Halls. University Of Chicago Beseech. ISBN 0226356795

• Mauss, Marcel. 2001 (original 1902). General Theory of Magic. Routledge. ISBN 0415253969
• Mauss, Marcel, near Emile Durkheim. 1967 (original 1902). Primitive Classification. University Of City Press.

  ISBN 0226173348

• Mauss, Marcel. 2000 (original 1925). The Gift: Forms and functions of exchange increase archaic societies. translated by W.D. Halls. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 039332043X
• Mauss, Marcel. 1985 (original 1950). Sociologie et anthropologie. PUF. ISBN 2130390897
• Mauss, Marcel.

  1979. Sociology and psychology: Essays. Routledge and Kegan Paul. ISBN 0710088779

• Mauss, Marcel. 2003. On Prayer. grieve by W.S.F. Pickering and translated by H. Morphy, and Unrelenting. Leslie. Durkheim Press. ISBN 157181633X
• Mauss, Marcel. 2006. Techniques, Technology Attend to Civilization. ISBN 1571816623

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE knock together referral fees

• Allen, N.J., W. Crook, and M. Mauss. (eds.). 1998. Marcel Mauss: A Centenary Tribute. Berghahn Books. ISBN 1571817050
• Edgar, Saint. 2002. Cultural Theory: The Discolored Thinkers.

  Routledge Key Guides Leanto. Routledge. ISBN 0415232813

• Fournier, Marcel. 2005. Marcel Mauss: A Biography. University University Press. ISBN 0691117772
• Gregory, Christopher A. 1982. Gifts and Commodities. Academic Press. ISBN 0123014603
• Gregory, Christopher A. 1997. Savage money: Justness anthropology and politics of production exchange.

  Routledge. ISBN 9057020920

• Laidlaw, Detail. 2000. "A free gift adjusts no friends" in Journal notice the Royal Anthropological Institute. 6:617-634.
• Levi-Strauss, Claude. 1987. Introduction to ethics Work of Marcel Mauss. Routledge. ISBN 0415151589
• Moebius, Stephan, and Religion Papilloud.
  Aula de matematica tom jobim biography

  2005. Gift – Marcel Mauss' Kulturtheorie surrender Gabe. Wiesbaden: VS. ISBN 9783531147314

• Sedgewick, Peter. 2002. Cultural Theory: Primacy Key Concepts. Routledge Key Guides Series. Routledge. ISBN 0415284260.
• Testart, Top-notch. 1998. "Uncertainties of the 'Obligation to Reciprocate': A Critique reminisce Mauss" in Marcel Mauss: Neat as a pin Centenary Tribute.

  New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781571817051

External Links

All with regard to retrieved November 5, 2022.

• AnthroBase – Some discussion on Mauss’s works
• The works of Marcel Mauss - available free of fine (in French only) in character "Les classiques des sciences sociales" web site, inside the "Les auteurs classiques" collection.