PECULIARITIES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXCHANGE RELATIONS AMONG THE TRIBES OF THE EQUATORIAL ZONE UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article examines the peculiarities of the development of exchange relations among the tribes of the equatorial zone until the middle of the 20th century, in particular, the mechanisms of voluntary alienation  of goods in the form of gifts. The authors analyze historical approaches to understanding exchange, considering it in the context of theoretical discussions of the 30s 60s of the 20th century. Attention is focused on the study of tribal exchange systems that differed significantly from commodity-money relations of the European model. Examples of the Kwakiutl tribe from Northwest America, where there was a tradition of prestigious gift-giving, expressed in the destruction of property, as well as the practice of giving food and shells in the tribes of Papua New Guinea, which did not have a clear social hierarchy, are considered. The complex monetary system of Rossel Island, which involved the use of hierarchically ordered shell money, is analyzed. The discussion of the nature of exchange covers theoretical approaches of economic anthropology and a critical analysis of neoclassical economic concepts. The views of prominent scholars such as Marcel Mauss, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Karl Polanyi are highlighted, who emphasized the social interaction in the gift-giving process and the differences between traditional and capitalist exchange systems. The authors emphasize that tribal economic systems were based on the principles of reciprocity, rather than individual enrichment, as in market economies. The study's findings highlight the need for further study of exchange mechanisms in traditional societies to understand alternative economic models.