description Chris Gregory Overview
Chris Gregory is an Australian economic anthropologist whose 1982 book "Gifts and Commodities" established him as a major theoretical voice in the discipline. The work offered a profound analysis of the distinctions between gift and commodity exchange, drawing heavily on his fieldwork in Papua New Guinea and Marxist theory. He argued that the creation of a gift economy in colonial contexts was intrinsically linked to the emergence of capitalist commodity exchange. His research provides crucial insights into how different systems of value operate in Melanesian societies.
help Chris Gregory FAQ
What is the main argument of Chris Gregory's Gifts and Commodities?
Gregory distinguishes commodity exchange, which treats objects as alienable things, from gift exchange, which creates or maintains relationships between people. Gifts and Commodities was published in 1982 and became influential in economic anthropology.
How does Chris Gregory's work relate to Marcel Mauss?
Gregory extends questions raised by Marcel Mauss in The Gift about obligation, reciprocity, and social bonds. He also places those ideas in conversation with Marxian analysis of commodities and value.
What fieldwork shaped Chris Gregory's theory of exchange?
His early research drew on economic change and exchange in Papua New Guinea. That setting helped him examine how capitalist commodity relations and indigenous gift systems can coexist and interact.
Is Chris Gregory's work limited to gift exchange?
No. He has also written about money, value, kinship, agriculture, and political economy, including research connected with India and Papua New Guinea.
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