Summary

In his short conclusion to the book, Hyde recapitulates the chief themes of the gift and offers some insights into how they might be applied in contemporary contexts. He begins by restating the central paradox that opened the book in less stark terms: gift economy and market economy are at fundamental odds. One can have a gift without the market economy, but the gift cannot exist and cannot circulate without a gift economy. There is, however, a new crucial difference. Hyde observes that his position has been softened through the research and writing of the book. As he puts it, “within certain limits gift wealth may be rationalized and market wealth may be eroticized” (358). But this will always be a delicate process, open to constant negotiation, and always context specific.

If the artist is to survive, then, she must be a citizen of two...