Values and valuables : from the sacred to the symbolic

In this new volume from the Society for Economic Anthropology, Cynthia Werner and Duran Bell bring together a group of distinguished anthropologists and economists to discuss the complex ways in which different cultures imbue material objects with symbolic qualities, whose value cannot be reduced to material or monetary equivalents.

Objects with sacred or symbolic qualities are valued quite differently than mundane objects, and the contributors to this volume set out to unravel how and why.

In the first of three sections, the authors consider the extent to which sacred objects can or cannot be exchanged between individuals (e.g., ancestral objects, land, Dreaming stories).

In the second section, contributors discuss the value and power of markets, money, and credit.

They consider theoretical models for understanding money transactions, competing currencies, and the power of credit among marginalised groups around the globe.

The final section examines the ways in which contemporary people bestow symbolic value on some objects (e.g., family heirlooms, fashion goods) and finally how some individuals themselves are valued in monetary and symbolic ways. With its emphasis on the interplay of cultural and economic values, this book is a vital resource for economic anthropologists.