As Lygia Sigaud points out in Social Anthropology, Marcel Mauss’ work on gift exchange lead to the development of a theory of reciprocity, a notion of gift and counter-gift as two sides of a symmetrical relationship. However, she goes on, Mauss himself never spoke of reciprocity in and of itself, and symmetrical or commensurate value [...]
Posts Tagged ‘lex talionis’
Mauss and reciprocity
Posted in commentary, tagged Bible, gifts, Lamech, lex talionis, Mauss, reciprocity, Sigaud on February 7, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Assignments for Thursday, Jan. 15th
Posted in reading assignments, writing assignments, tagged Gaza, Israel, lex talionis, Murphy, war on January 13, 2009 | 2 Comments »
On Thursday, we will discuss the rest of the readings assigned for Tuesday that we didn’t get to. In addition, please read chapter two of Jeffrie Murphy’s “Two Cheers for Vindictiveness,” in Getting Even (Oxford, OUP: 2003), 17-26. I have emailed this to you. Your response paper (c. 250 words, no more than 1 page), [...]
An eye for an eye in Iranian law
Posted in commentary, tagged Iran, Islamic law, lex talionis on February 23, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Iranian Ameneh Bahrami suffered a horrible acid attack by an unrepentant stalker. She has demanded reciprocal and symmetrical justice as is her right under Iranian law, and a court in Tehran sentenced her attacker to that fate. CNN reported on it here.
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