Introduction to the Gift Economy

http://gift-economy.com

This web site is offered to you in an attempt to give a new perspective, to shift the paradigm according to which we now interpret the world towards a paradigm which will make social change easier. If you are willing to shift your perspective, read on!

Women and the Gift Economy

Contents

Acknowledgements	v
Introduction: A Radically Different Worldview is Possible Genevieve Vaughan	1
I. The Gift Economy, Past and Present
Indigenous Knowledge and Gift Giving: Living in Community Jeannette Armstrong	41
Pan Dora Revisited: From Patriarchal Woman-Blaming to a Feminist Gift Imaginary Kaarina Kailo	50
The Gift Logic of Indigenous Philosophies in the Academy Rauna Kuokkanen	71
She Gives the Gift of Her Body Vicki Noble	84
The Goddess Temple of Sekhmet: A Gift Economy Project Patricia Pearlman	96
Matriarchal Society and the Gift Paradigm: Motherliness as an Ethical Principle Heide Goettner-Abendroth	99
Significs and Semioethics: Places of the Gift in Communication Today Susan Petrilli	108
The Biology of Business: Crisis as a Gifting Opportunity Elisabet Sahtouris	121
II. Gifts Exploited by the Market
Capitalist Patriarchy and the Negation of Matriarchy: The Struggle for a “Deep”Alternative Claudia von Werlhof	139
Big Mountain Black Mesa: The Beauty Way Louise Benally	154
The Tragedy of the Enclosures: An Eco-Feminist Perspective on Selling Oxygen and Prostitution in Costa Rica Ana Isla	157
Real Bodies, Place-Bound Work and Transnational Homemaking: A Feminist Project Mechthild Hart	171
The Rural Women’s Movement in South Africa: Land Reform and HIV/AIDs Sizani Ngubane	181
Endangered Species: The Language of Our Lives Margaret Randall	187
Facing the Shadow of 9-11 Carol Brouillet	193
Heterosexism and the Norm of Normativity Genevieve Vaughan	199
III: Gifts in the Shadow of Exchange
The Khoekhoe Free Economy: A Model for the Gift Yvette Abrahams	217
Gift Giving Across Borders Maria Jimenez	222
The Gift Economy in the Caribbean: The Gift and the Wind Peggy Antrobus	230
The Children of the World: A Gift Assetou Madeleine Auditore	235
Solidarity Economics: Women’s Banking Networks in Senegal Rabia Adelkarim-Chikh	238
Women’s Funding Partnerships Tracy Gary	241
Gift Giving and New Communication Technologies Andrea Alvarado Vargas and María Suárez Toro	248
Trapped by Patriarchy: Can I Forgive Men? Erella Shadmi	253
Women’s Community Gifting: A Feminist Key to an Alternative Paradigm Linda Christiansen-Ruffman	257
IV. Gift Giving for Social Transformation
Indigenous Women and Traditional Knowledge: Reciprocity is the Way of Balance Mililani Trask	293
Supryia and the Reviving of a Dream: Toward a New Political Imaginary Corinne Kumar	301
Reflecting on Gifting and the Gift Economy in El Salvador Marta Benavides	310
From Forced Gifts to Free Gifts Paola Melchiori	318
The Gift of Community Radio Frieda Werden	327
Gifting at the Burning Man Festival Renea Roberts	353
Activism: A Creative Gift for a Better World  Brackin Firecracker	356
Women’s Giving: Feminist Transformation and Human Welfare Angela Miles	364
Position Statement for a Peaceful World	375