The Enigma of Gift and Sacrifice

"Based on a conference held at Rice University in 1999, this volume is an interesting addition to recent philosophically informed literature on the gift. Following a brief introductory essay by Wyschogrod, the volume is divided into three sections. The first, with essays by Maurice Godelier, George E. Marcus, and Mark C. Taylor, explores the social, economic, and political functions of gift-giving in the context of the global economy. The second section, with essays by Stephen A. Tyler and Genevieve Vaughan, examines how language and gender influence the role that giving plays in shaping communities. The final section, responding to the work of Derrida and Levinas, addresses the ambiguities and paradoxes of gift-giving and the gift's relation to alterity, with essays by John D. Caputo, Jean-Joseph Goux, and Adriaan Peperzak. Drawing from anthropology, religion, and philosophy, the essays are all of high quality and will be accessible to a broad and multidisciplinary audience. This volume complements nicely the collections edited by Alan Schrift (The Logic of the Gift: Toward an Ethic of Generosity, 1997) and Aafke Komter (The Gift: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, 1996) and would be a welcome addition to academic libraries. Of interest to undergraduates through faculty." -Choice