Definition: A system in which goods and services are PRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED and EXCHANGED
- All economic activity has CULTURAL MEANING, and economic processes can not be understood without considering culture.
- sentimental value
- religious/ritual value
- asthetic value (art)
- Desirability
- fad/fashion/vogue
- exclusivity
- sameness
- political correctness
- fame
- antiquity/novelty
How does culture assign rules and meanings to production?
- CONTROL OF RESOURCES
- Patterns of labor
- sexual division of labor
- flexibility versus rigid segregation
- dual systems
- caste (varna)
- age
- commencement of work
- special stages of work
- retirement
- SPECIALIZATION
- Generalized: everyone performs the same tasks (exception= age & sex)
- h/g
- horticultural societies (small, plant based)
- Part-time specialization
- pastoral
- large horticultural
- Full-time specialization
- agriculture (agrarian & industrial)
- Cooperation
- HOUSEHOLD: basic economic unit & social unit
- usually the base of cooperative work
- vary in composition and function with kinship patterns
- CONTROL OF LAND
- How will land resources be allocated?
- H/G: no real ownership. Cultural group has a "range" in which they can carry out subsistence and economic activities. Based o0n needs and physical landmarks
- Non-Industrial: Kinship determines ownership and control of land resources
- lineage
- clan
- Feudal: Chief/Noblility own land and peasants/lineal members use it for production.
- Industrial: Private ownership of land
- TECHNOLOGY:
- Relates to the subsistence strategy
- h/g: few tools and disposable. No ownership
- Horticultural/Pastoral: few tools owned by kin group
- axe, net, digging stick, containers, etc.
- share or lend these tools on demand
- agricultural: large tool kit either product of industrial revolution or not
- privately owned
- conditions for lending (rental)
EXCHANGE & DISTRIBUTION:(3 kinds)
- RECIPROCITY: The exchange of goods and services of equal value between parties
- Generalized: neither the exact value or the time in which the transaction must be completed are specified
- practiced within household or amongst kin
- gift giving
- social IOU
- Balanced: Not part of a long term process. The value and time for completion of the transaction are stated.
- Negative: Participants try to get the better of the exchange
- barter
- steal
- "silent trade"
- REDISTRIBUTION: Occurs where governments are centralized enough to control surplus. (larger horticultural and agricultural societies) Need:
- WHY COLLECT AND REDISTRIBUTE
- ethos of egalitarianism will want to spread wealth
- passify/control the masses
- create common infrastructure
- fund governments
- "leveling mechanisms"
- found in societies with an egalitarian ethic
- h/g
- simple horticulture
- industrial agriculture
- examples:
- Mayan Cargo system
- graduated income tax
- tithing/charity
- Potlatch (Northwest coast chiefdoms)-see film in next blog post
- "conspicuous consumption" (Veblen): the display of wealth for social prestige
- usually in industrial societies
- cars, furs, jewelry, designer brands, trophy bride, mansion, etc
- potlatch (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc)
- MARKET EXCHANGE: the buying and selling of goods and services
- with prices set by the forces of SUPPLY AND DEMAND,
- using ABSTRACT CURRENCY
- in a CENTRAL MARKETPLACE
- can be real or virtual
- traditional marketplace in nonindustrial societies is locus of much social and economic activity (socializing, gossip, news exchanged)
- Found in STATE level societies
culturally defined rules for what is "consumed" in all cultures
- kosher
- pets are not food
- environmental exploitation
- OPT
All economic activity has SOCIAL MEANING:
- kula ring (Trobriand Islands)
- compandrazgo (Latin America)
- Mayan cargo system
- potlatch
- giving to charity
