Question

Marcel Mauss argued that there is no such thing as a "free gift". What, according to Mauss, are the issues involved in gift giving?

Answer 1

In Marcel Mauss's  text The Gift(1990), he says that gift giving is a main feature in constructing, maintaining and
reproducing durable relationships. Even if he has explained gift exchange in several pre-capitalist societies, exchange of gifts in contemporary society may also be explained in the same way. With this in mind Sahlin'sstatement, ‘If friends make gifts, gifts make friends’ (1972: 186) would be questioned in the Western world and  could be considered representative statement in
respect to our own gift-giving practices. Also
this is not about presents, there are a variety of
other objects, ‘things’ which can be considered as gift.
As Mauss  depicted, there are a series
of commitments to which gift giving concerns.
At first, there is the commitment to give,
posing a relationship between the giver
and the recipient. Secondly there is the commitment to receive; rejection of the object given
could result in the ending up of the existing
relationship. Atlast Mauss stated that
there is a commitment to reciprocate, to give
in return. On acceptance of the gift, the recipient
is in obligation to re-enter the cycle as a giver. The
Identification of these objectives, particularly
the first one is expressive of the social relationship between the giver and the recipient .In return to the giving of the gift by the recipient determines how the relationship will continue. There is a fine line to stepwhen it comes to the difficult social process that is gift exchange. As Mauss argued, While this system of exchange on one level, appear voluntary, it is apparent in Mauss’ interpretation that it also has obligatory elements. The inconsistent nature of the gift is what helps to conservee the system.
As Laidlaw, in a review of Mauss's work explains,Gifts evoke obligations and create reciprocity,but they can do this because they might not: what creates the obligation is the moment which isolates the given thing and asks
for no reciprocation.
It seems that the proverb , ‘don’t give to receive’
is representative of the contradictory gift giving
in contemporary Western society. While there is indirect  remembrance of the commitments necessitate the system of gift exchange,it is the right thing to give a gift in return and we are aware of the outcome of not reciprocating or taking part, there is also a ruling
discussion which states that gift-giving should
be done for unselfish purposes. It seems that
consideration remains a central feature of our be-
liefs about gifts, even if our actions suggest
otherwise. This consideration is similarly a fea-
ture of the ‘pure gift’ that lies at the centre of
Mauss's works.