Gift exchange is a form of human communication which is much present in our lives. It goes together with different rituals, events and everyday situations. To give, to receive and to return are actions so intimately close to us that we are often not even aware of them. One of the most important meanings of the gift is that it forms and keeps human relations. In the thesis we focus on one of the fundamental means of human communication – that is gift communication. We want to show and explain how to understand the gift in the broader social context and how to exceed the question of social area by understanding the gift in consideration of symbolism. The thesis is designed as a theoretical reflection. We want to argue the point that the gift communication is a form of communication that we have to understand in both its social as well as its symbolic dimension. Gift exchange takes place in accordance with social norms and rules in a defined time and space frame, expressing social roles and relations and even creating social order. Furthermore, the gift is a kind of a medium, as it expresses a message which gift giver wants to pass to the gift receiver. That kind of a message is not being directly expressed, but in a ritual in symbolic way. It is influenced by many different factors, such as identity of the gift giver, his or her status and relation to the one to whom it is being given, their relationship, cultural environment, particular situation.
|
