Darivanje kao totalna komunikacija
Gift-giving as a total Communication

Summary/Abstract: The significance of gift-giving is essentially the same in all cultures and historical periods: it establishes social obligations among individuals and therefore the solidarity of a community. The gift consists of aesthetic, emotional, economic, competitive, moral, mystic, religious and entertaining dimensions; but, the importance of any aspect varies, depending on the circumstances of life and the character of society. The author first discusses the gift and gift-giving theoretically. Then follow seven examples from the contemporary Croatian culture, illustrating different ways in which the utilitarian and the symbolic meanings of gift-giving are intertwined. In conclusion, the author states that the complex character of contemporary gift-exchange is not a remnant of the morality of long gone forms of social life. Rather, such gift-exchange is an expression of the specific needs of contemporary people which stem from their specific relation to dominant and restrictive social/cultural institutions.

• Details
• Contents