CLIGGETT--CLARK

The article on remittances in Zambia was very interesting, especially in how unique their gift-giving practices are. After first reading the abstract I found myself wondering why they even bothered sometimes with sending such little gifts back to their families—as opposed to the traditional large gift or sum of money. However, when Cliggett first mentioned the concept of “the gift” it all started to come together. I’m sure it is a very culturally based thing, but it certainly makes sense that “gift exchange establishes a valued form of mutual recognition between donor and recipient that supercedes the material value of the gift itself” (38). However, I was still a bit unclear about how this really works. Would a large gift (say, a 10 on a 1-10 scale) given at one point in time truly be the same to a family from a kinship-linking angle as ten different, smaller gifts? Or would ten separate “things” or thoughts of gifts mean more in the long run? Obviously for the Zambians this is the case, but I am curious as to which aspects of a culture would make that so? Would poorer cultures value smaller gifts more? Does it have to do with the pre-established kinship relationship—perhaps for those with an already strong relationship, a smaller gift would mean more as opposed to a large sum meaning more in the midst of a weak relationship.