BALANCE AND UNBALANCE:AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL DEBATE ON RECIPROCITY
Reciprocity is a common and important phenomenon in human social interaction,as well the impor-tant theoretical topic in anthropology.For a long time,anthropologists lay particular stress on emphasing the balance of reciprocity.With the deepening and expansion of relevant studies,some anthropologists not only notice the unbal-anced phenomenon of reciprocal intercations,but also challenge the theory of balanced reciprocity which holds the mainstream status.The anthropologists who confirm the existence of unbalance in reciprocal interactions reflect the concept of reciprocity itself,criticize the"Gift-Commodity"dichotomy connoted in the study of reciprocity,pay attention to the lack of return phenomenon in different social cultures,and reveal the differences of return in unequal power structures and relations.In the social and cultural context of China,if we want to examin reciprocity practices comprehensively,we not only need to pay attention to the balance phenomenon but also to the unbalance phenomenon,as well as to jump out of the analytical framework of overemphasized individual relationships by the Western anthropology,and to understand the reciprocal practices of Chinese people in the concrete"Context".
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