anthropology ch.7

market/ commercial exchange

exchanges or transactions in which the "prices" are subject to supply and demand, whether or not the transactions actually occur in the marketplace

balanced reciprocity

explicit and short term in its expectations of return

special purpose money

objects of value for which only some goods and services can be exchanged

peasants

rural people who produce food for their own subsistence but who must also contribute or sell their surpluses to others who do not produce their own food

redistribution

the accumulation of goods or labor by a particular person, or in a particular place, for the purpose of subsequent distribution

generalized reciprocity

when goods or services are given to another without any apparent expectation of a return gift

potlach

a feast among Pacific Northwest Native Americans at which great quantities of food and goods and are given to the guests in order to gain prestige for the hosts

corvee

a system of required labor

general-purpose money

a universally accepted medium of exchange

optimal foraging theory

assumes that individuals seek to maximize the returns, in the calories and nutrients, on their labor in deciding which animals and plants to hunt collect

reciprocity

consists of giving and taking without the use of money; it mainly takes the form of gift giving or generalized reciprocity