Some Critical Theorists

	Carl Bücher (1847-1930), author of Industrial Evolution (1901) argued at the turn of the 20th century that "primitive man lives only for the present...shuns all regular work...has not the conception of duty, not of a vocation as a moral function in life." Very influential! Rationality was a sign of civilization and not all people were civilized (savages lurked in societies of all types).
	Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942), was heavily influenced by Bücher, but disagreed. Showed in Argonauts of the Pacific (1922) as well as other works that "primitives" were rational economic decision makers (though they were often motivated by things other than those that motivated Westerners). Again, Malinowski wrote about "primitives" but it's not clear that all primitives live in primitive societies.
	Marcel Mauss (1872-1950), is often considered a founder of economic anthropology. In The Gift (1925) he proposed that in primitive societies, gift giving was a "total social phenomenon." The critical purpose of economy was to increase social solidarity. People exchanged in order to form groups.

Marcel Mauss (1872-1950), is often considered a founder of economic anthropology. In The Gift (1925) he proposed that in primitive societies, gift giving was a "total social phenomenon." The critical purpose of economy was to increase social solidarity. People exchanged in order to form groups.