The Gift

Marcel Mauss’s seminal work on gift exchanges was translated into English in 1950, 25 years after it was first published in France. Written at a time after WWI and before WWII, it should not come as a surprise that his discussions on reciprocity included the concept of citizenship and civic duties, both of which are so intricately intertwined that one could not exist without the other. To be a citizen is to give freely of yourself, your time (e.g., service, labor), your money (e.g., taxes), and humanity’s most precious gift, future generations of civic-minded children.

In return, the government and social institutions repay these gifts by providing wages, healthcare (e.g., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, etc.), unemployment, a pension, schooling, and in some countries even a death benefit (86). As Mauss states, “[T]he worker has given his life and his labour, on the one hand to the collectivity, and on the other hand, to his employers. […] The state itself, representing the community, owes him, as do his employers […] a certain security in life, against unemployment, sickness, old age, and death” (86). It is in this way that Mauss understands the role of the individual within their own society.