礼尚往来何以可能——从《礼物》看古式社会中的礼物交换现象

How does Gift Exchange Exist—— To See the Gift Exchange Phenomenon in Archaic Society from Gift

本文从《礼物——古式社会中交换的形式与理由》一书的经验线索,即以波利尼西亚的赠礼制度、美拉尼西亚的库拉、西北美洲的夸富宴为主线,在不同的呈献体系中展现古式社会的礼物交换形式。礼物交换中普遍存在着的"送礼、回礼、收礼"义务,使得礼物形成一个流动圈,进而形成一个礼尚往来的社会。礼物之灵赋予礼物一种人与物、主观与客观的共融的特点,体现了礼物的社会性、整体性。礼物交换不仅是个人行为,更是部落间、氏族间的行为。古式社会中礼尚往来的特点表现为:从非竞争式交换到竞争式交换、从平衡式交换到不平衡式交换、从被动交换到主动交换的发展,体现了莫斯的进化论视角。重新回顾、梳理古式社会中礼物交换的现象,明晰古式社会礼尚往来的形成、发展机制,有很重要的现实意义。

This paper shows the forms of gift exchange in different presentation. It clues the giftgiving system in Polynesie, Melanesie's Kula and the Pot latch in the northwest America. Generally there are obligations to give a gift, to return a gift and to accept a gift, which makes gift exchange form a gift flowing circle and a society. The gift spirit enables gift a characteristic, and it means that gift is a eutectic thing of human and things, subjective and objective. It reflects the gift exchange's sociability and integrity. Not only is the gift exchange a personal behavior, it is a behavior between tribes and clans. The traits of gift exchange in archaic society are from balanced exchange to unbalanced exchange, from passive exchange to active exchange. Mauss is an evolutionist. Reviewing and retrospecting the gift exchange in archaic society, knowing its form and developing mechanism has very important practical significance.