The gift of sovereignty: kings from Mauss to Sahlins and Graeber

Christopher John Smith

The gift of sovereignty: kings from Mauss to Sahlins and Graeber

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Abstract

Kingship has been of particular interest to anthropologists from Fraser to Graeber and Sahlins. This paper will join three concepts: gift-giving, law-making and kingship in a reflection‎ on the possible proto-economic roots of sovereignty. I am particularly interested in the reciprocity which existed between the king and the people, a space created and policed by law even in its earliest normative and communicative forms, but constituted through models of exchange. This takes in the notion of sovereignty at the level of the household and its role in the developing economy.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	157-177
Journal	Politica Antica
Volume	10
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2020

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Copyright © 2020 Publisher / the Author. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the final published version of the work, which was originally published at http://doi.org/10.4475/940
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The gift of sovereignty: kings from Mauss to Sahlins and Graeber

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