Research Project at the Centre
Gifts of Cooperation: The Relevance of Marcel Mauss
The planned book focuses on the contribution of Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) to social theory and a theory of cooperation. It will consist of three parts. The first part will be on Marcel Mauss depicting his theoretical and political approach in comparison with classic competing theories of his time such as that of his uncle Durkheim. The second part of the book will relate Mauss’ theory of gift-giving to current approaches from anthropology, developmental psychology, evolutionary biology, philosophy and social theory. The last part is devoted to questions of practical application, i.e. gift-giving is discussed as the basis for philanthropy, civil society, solidarity economy and global cooperation.