Basic Biographical Information
Born in 1872, in Epinal, France, Mauss studied philosophy at Bordeaux before moving to Paris where his teaching, writing, and institution building made him a significant figure in the development of both sociology and anthropology. His influence on civil society is due to the insights of his magnum opus, The Gift, into the nature and purpose of gift exchange, which have proved of lasting value to the study of charitable giving and philanthropic transactions. Mauss was the nephew and colleague of Emile Durkheim. Together they cofounded the influential journal L’Annee Sociologique (“The Sociological Year”) in 1898 and established the French Institutes of Sociology (1924) and Ethnology (1926). Mauss saw many friends and colleagues killed during World War I and, despite the emphasis in his work on the potential for social solidarity, he lived through a Second World War before dying in Paris in 1950.
Major Contributions
Mauss’ most influential work is Essai...
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References/Further Readings
Douglas, M. (2002 [2004]). No free gifts (foreword). In M. Mauss (Ed.), The gift. London/New York: Routledge Classics.
James, W., & Allen, N. J. (Eds.) (1998). Marcel Mauss: A centenary tribute. New York/Oxford: Berghahn Books.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1950). Introduction to the work of Marcel Mauss. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Mauss, M. (1954 [2002]). The gift: The form and reason for the study of the gift economy. London/New York: Routledge Classics.
Silber, I. (1998). Modern philanthropy: Reassessing the viability of a Maussian perspective. In J. Wendy, & N. J. Allen (Eds.), Marcel Mauss: A centenary tribute. New York/Oxford: Berghahn Books.
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Breeze, B. (2010). Mauss, Marcel. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_251
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