Economic Anthropology

From the generalized reciprocity among the !Kung to the balanced reciprocity of the Yanomamo and the Trobriand Islanders, this program explains that the economies of many non-Western societies are based on principles other than currency. In the highlands of New Guinea, the Mendi are shown engaging both in balanced reciprocity when they barter a bride price in pearl shells, and in redistribution when they engage in a cassowary contest in which they give away their holdings to gain prestige. A third system of distribution—the marketplace—is illustrated with scenes of Assante women in Ghana and of nomads in Afghanistan.