For almost a century, economic anthropology has formed a fairly coherent field at the
interface between sociocultural anthropology and economics. Many anthropologists are
suspicious of economists' concepts and some question the very notion of “the economy.”
Material livelihoods are always embedded in wider contexts of immaterial values and
practices that cannot be reduced to a utilitarian calculus. However, some anthropologists
maintain that the axioms of mainstream economics are universally applicable. This entry�…

The main focus of the volume-the processes of choice and decision-making in different
economic systems-offers exceptional scope for the convergence of economic and
anthropological perspectives. It concentrates on transactions that both express and
influence social relationships and values. Covering a wide geographic area there are
specific studies on societies in Equatorial Africa, Colombia, South India and the Balkans.
First published in 1967.