DOCSLIB.ORG

ARCH 1570. Cold Hard Cash: the Materiality of Money in Ancient and Modern Finance

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ARCH 1570. Cold Hard Cash: the Materiality of Money in Ancient and Modern Finance ARCH 1570. Cold Hard Cash: The Materiality of Money in Ancient and Modern Finance Spring 2012, MWF 1:00-1:50 pm Rhode Island Hall, Room 108 Professor Christoph Bachhuber [email protected] / tel. 401-863-7533 Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World Office: Rhode Island Hall, Room 207 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, and by arrangement CultureLab point of contact: Geralyn Ducady [email protected] INTRODUCTION Now more than ever we are in need of new perspectives on the value and meaning of money. The course prioritizes anthropological and historical approaches as ways to offer time depth, cross cultural comparison and insight into our own troubled financial systems. The anthropological perspective in the course includes handling and studying a wide range of financial objects and devices that are housed in the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University, including but not confined to objects from New Guinea, Sub-Saharan Africa, and indigenous North America. The historical perspective will be informed by handing and studying the world’s earliest coins held in the Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology and the Ancient World. Through numerous ancient, historical, ethnographic and modern case studies the course explores how specific kinds of objects, materials, and non-materials can be invested with financial value. The course draws upon a diverse literature in order to understand how financial devices (to include currencies) are embedded in and mediate social relations. Financial devices mediate social relations because they contain within them core ideologies of the communities that use them. In this way we will explore the rich paradoxes of money at the interface between the material and ideological worlds. From the pre-coinage financial systems of ancient Mesopotamia, to the invention of coinage in the Aegean region, to the dynamics of monied interactions in historically recent colonial encounters, to the immateriality of finance in global markets today, we will explore the ‘social imaginary’ of finance and the materials, devices, and ideologies that perpetuate and legitimize financial systems. LEARNING OUTCOMES Understanding core anthropological approaches to economics and finance Assessing the applicability and appropriateness of anthropological and archaeological approaches to finance in the past (e.g. in prehistory and ancient history) Assessing the applicability and appropriateness of anthropological approaches to modern finance 1 An appreciation of the diverse material and ideological manifestations of finance through prehistory, history, and across cultures BREAKDOWN OF GRADING 1) 20% Take-home midterm (March 9) 2) 20% Course project: catalogue and presentation (presentations Weeks 15-16; catalogue due May 11) 3) 30% Course project: formal essay (due May 11) 4) 30% Attendance and participation (including contributions to the chorus) = Total: 100% COURSE STRUCTURE AND EXPECTATIONS Course wiki We are making use of a course wiki administered through the Joukowsky Institute’s website to post course materials and readings: http://proteus.brown.edu/coldhardcash12/Home The course syllabus, assignments, and presentations used in lectures will be posted to the ‘Cold Hard Cash Home’ (the above link). Readings will be uploaded to the password protected ‘Cold Hard Cash Private Forum’ as pdf’s: http://proteus.brown.edu/coldhardcash12private/admin/viewsignin.html?pageid=15921 You will need Adobe Acrobat or a similar program to read these files. Acrobat Reader is available as a free download at www.adobe.com. The private forum will also be used to post questions, comments and summaries related to the Friday discussions (see ‘chorus’ below). Friday discussions and ‘the chorus’ Beginning in Week 3 the schedule generally follows this weekly pattern: two lectures (M, W) and one discussion (F). There are between 3-5 readings for every week (which I will post on the course wiki). I expect every student to read these by the Friday discussion. Every discussion is led by a ‘chorus’. I ask 4-5 students to volunteer to act as the chorus for the Friday discussions. The chorus constitutes an inner circle of discussants who are responsible for close readings and a more in-depth apprehension of the readings assigned. They are necessarily responsible for leading the discussion, which is opened to the remainder of the class who form the outer circle in the discussion. Members of the chorus are asked to post 1-2 questions on the course wiki (private forum) that they feel are most pressing or interesting from the readings assigned, by 9 p.m. the night before the Friday discussion. The outer circle is expected to review these questions before the start of the discussion on Friday. Each member of the inner circle subsequently composes a 3-4 paragraph response to the Friday discussion on the course wiki (private forum), due the following Sunday by 5 p.m. 2 Take-home midterm exam There is a take-home midterm towards the middle of the semester. Students are presented with 4- 5 essay questions, from which they select 2. The questions cover topics explored in the first half of the semester. Course Project The Haffenreffer Museum at Brown University holds dozens of objects from around the world that were invested with financial value by the communities that they were acquired from. Many of these objects, as well as ancient coins from a collection in the Joukowsky Institute at Brown University, are presently on display in CultureLab in the Haffenreffer Museum’s Manning Hall. Choose three of these objects from CultureLab, and a fourth financial device drawn from modern finance in the USA. This fourth device can range from a copper penny to the most complex forms of repackaged debt. You will create a virtual museum exhibit of the four devices that you have chosen, as part of a larger study of these devices and of the materiality of finance in general. Most of the objects in the CultureLab have not been studied (or published) in any comprehensive or analytical way. The project will necessarily offer a real opportunity to contribute to the knowledge store of the Haffenreffer Museum, and potentially to scholarship in general. Staff from the Haffenreffer Museum will be available to answer your research queries. The project will be assessed on the following elements: 1) A catalogue: use current museum catalogues as a guide to present and discuss the four devices you have chosen. The four objects need to be unified in a single theme, which should be articulated in the title of your exhibit. You will be assessed on the level of analytical sophistication of your unifying theme (i.e. I will not be so impressed by an exhibit titled ‘Money’). Relevant catalogue information on the objects you have chosen from the CultureLab should include when and how the object was acquired and a general ‘biography’ of the object (consider here that these objects were originally manufactured for exchange), the material(s) used in the manufacture of the object, the method of the object’s manufacture, and a brief (user friendly) discussion that outlines how this financial device was used in the community it was acquired from. With these considerations in mind, you will also create a catalogue entry for the 4th financial device drawn from modern finance in the USA. Depending on the device you choose, you may or may not find the above considerations relevant in your 4th catalogue entry. 2) A formal essay (12-15 pages for undergraduates, 15-20 for graduates). In this essay you will be expected to articulate the major analytical themes of the course in your study of the four financial devices that you have chosen. Comparative analyses will be expected, in particular between the objects you have selected from the Culture Lab and the 4th financial device drawn from modern finance in the USA. 3 3) A 10 minute Powerpoint presentation. The Powerpoint presentation is in effect your ‘exhibit’. Here you will be expected to visually and verbally communicate the meaning and substance of your virtual exhibit CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS Week 1 (Jan. 25-7): Introduction W: An introduction (or what is the value of this course) F: Money in time and space and scholarship: an overview Week 2 (Jan. 30-Feb. 3): Overview of approaches M: Anthropological approaches W: Historical-archaeological evidence F: The Course Project: visit to the Culture Lab Readings Furguson, N. 2008. The Ascent of Money. London (Introduction and Chapter 1) Graeber, D. 2011. Debt: The First 5000 Years. New York (Chapter 1) Hann, C. and K. Hart 2011. Economic Anthropology. Cambridge. (Chapters 1-2). Week 3 (Feb. 6-10): The Creation Myth of Money M: The creation myth of money W: The creation myth of money (critique) F: Chorus-led discussion Readings Graeber, D. 2011. Debt: The First 5000 Years. New York (Chapter 2) Smith, A. 1776. Wealth of Nations (Book 1, Chapter 2: Of the principal which gives occasion to the division of labour) http://geolib.com/smith.adam/won1-02.html (Book 1, Chapter 4: Of the origin and use of money) http://geolib.com/smith.adam/won1-04.html Aristotle Politics (particularly Parts VIII-IX) http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.1.one.html 4 Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics (Book V Part 5) http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.5.v.html Hann, C. and K. Hart 2011. Economic Anthropology. Cambridge (Chapters 3-4) Week 4 (Feb. 13-17): Gifts and commodities M: Marx and commodities W: Gift exchange and debt obligations F: Chorus-led discussion Readings Appadurai, A. 1986. ‘Introduction: commodities and the politics of value,’ in A. Appadurai (ed.) The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, 3-63. Cambridge Kopytoff, I. 1986. ‘The cultural biography of things’, in A. Appadurai (ed.) The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, 64-94.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Whatever Happened to Economic Anthropology?1
    The Australian Journal of Anthropology (2009) 20, 285–300 doi:10.1111/j.1757-6547.2009.00037.x Whatever happened to economic anthropology?1 Chris Gregory Archaeology and Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, Australian National University In the 1970s, economic anthropology, along with kinship and ecological anthropology, was regarded as a core discipline in the teaching of anthropology. The centrality of all these subjects was reflected in the debates of the time. For economic anthropology, understanding the articulation of modes of production was the problem; the holy trinity—tribe, peasant, capitalist—provided the key terms of the debate. These terms, and this problem, are history. The discipline of anthropology has been de-cored over the past 30 years: economic anthro- pology, kinship and ecological anthropology are not even on the agenda in many universities today (ANU included). This presents us with a paradox because these academic trends are in inverse proportion to the importance of contemporary developments in the economy, the family and ecology as global problems facing humanity. This paradox must be addressed not by arguing for a rehabilitation of the core subjects of the 1970s—those days are long gone— but by taking a critical look at the implicit theories of value that inform anthropological thinking about the economy, the family and ecology today. I shall argue that, along with neoliberalism, ‘agency’ has been the key term of the new paradigm that emerged in the 1970s, that this paradigm is about to become history and that new ways of thinking about the economy will have to emerge as we all become victims of the ‘financialisation’ of Europe, the industrialisation of Asia and the desiccation of Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • A General Theory of Economic Flow, Social Exchange, and Hegemonic Relationship
    W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1992 A General Theory of Economic Flow, Social Exchange, and Hegemonic Relationship Donn Robert Grenda College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Economic Theory Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Grenda, Donn Robert, "A General Theory of Economic Flow, Social Exchange, and Hegemonic Relationship" (1992). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625722. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-kwnn-9j14 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A General Theory of Economic Flow, Social Exchange, and Hegemonic Relationships A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Donn R. Grenda 1992 This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Author Approved, April 1992 f Norman Barka Theodore Reinhart ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i v LIST OF TABLES..................... .................... v LIST OF FIGURES......................................... vi ABSTRACT............... vii INTRODUCTION............................................ 2 CHAPTER I. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FIELD AND ITS FOUNDERS............................................ 7 CHAPTER II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GENERALTHEORY.... 52 CHAPTER III. A GENERAL THEORY OF ECONOMIC FLOW, SOCIAL EXCHANGE, AND HEGEMONIC RELATIONSHIPS......
    [Show full text]
  • An Economic Sociological Look at Economic Anthropology
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Aspers, Patrik; Darr, Asaf; Kohl, Sebastian Article An economic sociological look at economic anthropology economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter Provided in Cooperation with: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), Cologne Suggested Citation: Aspers, Patrik; Darr, Asaf; Kohl, Sebastian (2007) : An economic sociological look at economic anthropology, economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter, ISSN 1871-3351, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), Cologne, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, pp. 3-10 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/155897 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available
    [Show full text]
  • ECON 3458 Economic Anthropology Spring 2020 William C. Schaniel
    ECON 3458 Economic Anthropology Spring 2020 William C. Schaniel Phone: Cell: (404) 328-7729 Economics (678) 839-6477 Office Hours: 1:10 - 4:30, Monday/Wednesday; after class; or by appointment. Email: [email protected] Texts & Materials: Readings (Handouts numbered 1 to 18). Composition Book (Empty) Course Objectives: The primary objective is to present the cultural context of economic activity. By the end of the course, a student will be able to explain: the methodology of economics and anthropology; the tools of economic anthropology; and how to apply the tools of economic anthropology. Attendance: Students are expected to attend every scheduled class including Saturday Flea market visits. Material supplemental and additional to the text will be discussed in the class. Preparation: Students are expected to read, write and turn in material assigned before the scheduled sessions. Grades: A. There will be 5 points per class based on class participation, and turning in of a work when due. Outline of readings will be due prior to the assign class discussion. The readings outlines will be placed in the folder with your name at the beginning of the class. Half credit will be given for assignments one class late (and the work is acceptable). B. There will be one major project worth 150 points. The project will be done at the West Georgia Flea Market. 1) Your project is to do an ethnography of the flea market. There will be five visits. All visits will be part of graded class work. 2) You will do a familiarization visit to the West Georgia Flea Market on Saturday, March 14th.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of Neo-Liberalism Has Become an Obstacle to the Anthropological Understanding of the Twenty-First Century
    The University of Manchester Research The concept of neo-liberalism has become an obstacle to the anthropological understanding of the twenty-first century Link to publication record in Manchester Research Explorer Citation for published version (APA): Venkatesan, S., Laidlaw, J., Eriksen, T. H., Martin, K., & Mair, J. (2015). The concept of neo-liberalism has become an obstacle to the anthropological understanding of the twenty-first century: 2012 debate of the Group for Debates in Anthropological Theory. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 21(4), 911. Published in: Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on Manchester Research Explorer is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Proof version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Explorer are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Takedown policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please refer to the University of Manchester’s Takedown Procedures [http://man.ac.uk/04Y6Bo] or contact [email protected] providing relevant details, so we can investigate your claim. Download date:09. Oct. 2021 Debate:‘Theconceptof neoliberalism has become
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Anthropology and Studies on Indigenous (“Tribal”/ “Adivasis” Ethnic) Communities (Draft Only)
    Economic Anthropology and Studies on Indigenous (“Tribal”/ “Adivasis” Ethnic) Communities (Draft only) Unit-1 Introduction: Economic Anthropology, (old and new) terms, concepts and definitions – Native (Indigenous/Tribal/Adivasis/Ethnic) communities use of pejorative terminologies of these groups – Relationship between Economics and Anthropology, Principles of an Economic Anthropology, Reservations Policies Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Areas The Golden Age of Economic Anthropology (1950-1970) The rise of modern economics and anthropology (1870-1940) Characteristics of Tribal Economies – Primitive Tribal Groups - Common Properties resources - The Formalist – Substantivist Debate, and after the Debate – Disembedded Economy Vs Embedded Economy - Gift Economy - Moral Economy – Self sufficient Economics, Reciprocity, Redistribution and Exchange, Trade etc., Economies - Subsistence Economics – Market Economics – Pre-modern Economics Ethnic Communities Tribe Occupational Structures and cultural diversities (multicultural ;salad bowl’, cultural mosaic, rise of ethnic groups, language and cultures that co-exist within society) – Customary Law & Change - primitive characteristics of economy to Modern Economy/ Human Economy: from the food gathering (Ancient World) to food producing to the Age of Cyber Economy - Barter Economy to Digital Economy – Caste and Class differences among Indian groups - The rise of modern Economy and Anthropology Economics and Cultures and Resources: Economies and the problems of human nature – (the self interested model vs. the moral modern and non-modern economies). Ethnic cleansing (sometimes used as genocide) – forced deportation, to get people to move. - as a crime under international law - as a military, political, economic tactic Unit-II: Pre-capitalist economics, market economies local national international markets: role of middle persons, external forces, and financial institutions, Indebtedness. Communitarianism – family, community, morality under different economic systems.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Review of Homo Economicus from Five Approaches
    A Critical Review of Homo Economicus from Five Approaches † By DANTE A. URBINA* and ALBERTO RUIZ-VILLAVERDE ABSTRACT. Neoclassical economics is based on and structured around the notion of homo economicus. The theory of consumer choice, the theory of the firm, industrial organization, and welfare theorems all require the assumption that agents act in accordance with the scheme of individualistic rational optimization. In this context, our contribution is threefold. First, we delimit the notion of homo economicus according to five characteristics or dimensions. Second, we critically review this anthropological scheme from five distinct approaches, namely, behavioral economics, institutional economics, political economy, economic anthropology, and ecological economics. Third, we conclude that the scheme of homo economicus is clearly inadequate and deficient. However, despite its inadequacies, it remains one of the fundamental pillars of the neoclassical paradigm in economics, which allows us to discuss why we have not yet overcome this paradigm. Introduction The notion of homo economicus—a theoretical construct that posits calculated self-interest as the primary human motive in all transac- tions—has been under heated discussion for decades among econo- mists. This discussion has also included scholars from several other *Assistant professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Lima (Peru). Lectured in Peru, Spain, and Germany. Selected among the best “young researchers” in a worldwide contest to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on Economic Sciences. Published in academic journals of Ukraine and India and is author of Economía para Herejes: Desnudando los Mitos de la Economía Ortodoxa [Economics for Heretics: Debunking the Myths of Orthodox Economics] (2015).
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Anthropology
    1 ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY Principles, Practices and Comparative Perspectives – A Project-Driven Approach ANG5266/ANT4266 Fall 2020 Thurs per 7-9 (1:55-4:55p) Professor Brenda Chalfin, [email protected] (ZOOM) Office hours Mon 3-5p and by appointment Course Description: Economic Anthropology addresses the diversity of human economic practice across the present and past with an eye on future trends and pathways of interconnection and transformation. Focused on production, exchange and consumption, and grounded in ethnographic research from across the world, the class develops a broad-ranging approach to the study of economic life. Our anthropological study of economies will examine cultural meanings, social relations, historical continuities, local and global interdependencies, and structured inequalities in power and resources. This is a project-driven course designed to accommodate the unusual circumstances of the semester and synchronous remote-learning. The class combines reading, discussion, and hands-on research and brainstorming toward the application of questions and principles from course materials to our own lives and contexts. Building research and communication skills, each of 4 class projects will require students to apply and test the relevance of definitions and frameworks from course material to their personal experience and the contemporary moment. It will also allow students to offer their own insights via anthropological research and theory building and offer a grounded contribution to the anthropology of the present. Simply put, students will consume and produce anthropological knowledge as well as exchange their findings through shared presentations and feedback. Students will serve as a source of comparative perspectives via means of rigorous data collection and analysis and collective critique.
    [Show full text]
  • Lederman FRS 128 Page 1 of 6 Professor Rena Lederman Office
    Lederman FRS 128 Page 1 of 6 Professor Rena Lederman Office: 58 Prospect, #206 Email: [email protected] Hours: Tuesday 11-1 and Phone: x85534 and by appointment FRS 128: Meaning and Value: Anthropology and History of Economic Experience This course explores the meaningful contexts of objects, relationships, and values deemed “economic” in American culture. Employing anthropological, sociological, and historical strategies of interpretation, and drawing on comparative research from around the globe, participants will consider the embedding of the “economic” in historically specific sociocultural experience. Participants will also get an introductory feel for ethnographic “fieldwork” by using their own everyday experience systematically and integrating it with other kinds of research. Readings: N. Z. Davis The Gift in Early Modern France G. McCracken Culture and Consumption M. Sahlins Stone Age Economics Course packet (includes all readings not in the above books) (The books are available at the Ustore. The course packet is available at Pequod.) Assignments: 1. Active participation in weekly discussions requires keeping up with the assigned readings and coming to class meetings with question and reactions. The ANT 205 Blackboard “discussion board”, to which all registered students will have access, will complement in-class discussions. 20% of your grade will be derived from your class participation: class attendance, and active contributions—questions, confusions, comments—to class and Blackboard discussion. (If you must miss a seminar meeting, then you will be expected to make a substantial contribution through Blackboard; otherwise, that online resource is useful for initiating or continuing class discussion.) Readings are drawn both from unfamiliar cultural/historical contexts and from familiar ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecomomic Anthropology
    ETHNOLOGY, ETHNOGRAPHY AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY - Economic Anthropology - Hugo Valenzuela García and Jose Luís Molina González ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY Hugo Valenzuela García and Jose Luís Molina González Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Spain. Keywords: substantivism, formalism, Marxism, reciprocity, redistribution, exchange, primitive money, consumption, globalization, technology, peasantry, development, moral economy, business anthropology, entrepreneurship, post-Fordism. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Major theoretical approaches 3. Peasants and Development 4. Production 5. Distribution 6. Consumption 7. Globalization and flexibility 8. Conclusions and perspectives Acknowledgments Glossary Bibliography Bibliographical Sketch Summary This chapter explores the main contributions and debates of Economic Anthropology, a field that has been developing considerably since the beginning of the 20th Century and that still enjoys a great vitality. It aims to provide a state of the art, always necessarily limited but general enough to help the reader to locate and understand the objectives of economic anthropology and its main areas of research. The introduction presents a synthetic definition of this sub-field, it outlines its main chronological phases, and it highlights the most relevant influences involved in its emergence. Forceful criticism of the precepts of neoclassical economics and a concern for the relationship between society, environment and economy, have been two central pillars of its initial development.UNESCO-EOLSS Then the chapter describes and explains the three main theoretical roots of classical economic anthropology: substantivism, formalism, and the contributions of Marxist anthropologySAMPLE and its most representative CHAPTERS schools. In line with the Marxist discussion two influential themes of analysis within this subfield are presented: peasant studies (especially in Latin America and Asia) and development, along with the discussion of moral economy and its main assumptions.
    [Show full text]
  • Review Source: Current Anthropology, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jun., 1980), Pp
    Review Source: Current Anthropology, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jun., 1980), pp. 299-314 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2742161 Accessed: 06-08-2015 09:45 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press and Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Current Anthropology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.240.165.181 on Thu, 06 Aug 2015 09:45:46 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions A CA* BOOK REVIEW Social Anthropologyof Work [With the agreementof the publisher,potential reviewers were sent of the occasionat whichthe collectionwas presented.In this copies of Social Anthropologyof Work, edited by Sandra Wallman case we were concernedto do so for two additionalreasons. (Association of Social AnthropologistsMonograph 19; London: One is that manyof thesepapers constitute reports of workin Academic Press, 1979). The contentsof the volume are listed below, progresswhich will lose credenceand pointif too long delayed and followingthem are reprinted(with the permissionof editor and in the pipeline.The otheris that thereis a markedresurgence publisher)Wallman's preface and introduction;these are followedby the reviewsreceived.
    [Show full text]
  • Materiality, Symbol, and Complexity in the Anthropology of Money
    Chapter 3 Materiality, Symbol, and Complexity in the Anthropology of Money Taylor C. Nelms and Bill Maurer Abstract The invitation to review anthropological studies of money offers an opportunity not only to revisit the history of anthropologists’ investigations into money’s objects, meanings, and uses but also to refl ect on the intersections of such work with recent psychological research. In this review essay, we survey the primary fi ndings of the anthropology of money and the central challenges anthropological work has posed to assumptions about money’s power to abstract, commensurate, dissolve social ties, and erase difference. We summarize anthropologists’ historical concern with cultural difference and recent work on money’s materialities, mean- ings, and complex uses. We emphasize the pragmatics of money—from earmarking practices and the use of multiple moneys to the politics of liquidity and fungibility. In the fi nal section of the paper, we fi nd inspiration in recent psychological studies of money to indicate new trajectories for inquiry. Specifi cally, we point to three potentially fruitful areas for research: money use as a tool and infrastructure; the politics of revealing and concealing money; and money’s origins and futures as a memory device. We end with a brief refl ection on ongoing monetary experiments and innovations. Money has long been a topic of anthropological interest. From the giant Yap rai stones to the global diffusion of cowrie shells for use in trade to the creation of elaborate transactional archives in clay, string, and paper in places where physical money-stuff did not circulate, the ethnographic and archival record is rich with a diversity of money-objects: all manner of shells, beads, feathers, beans and grains, textiles, clay tablets, metal artifacts (wire, blades, axes, bars, rods, rings, and open bracelets called manillas), livestock, and much more—including, of T.
    [Show full text]