Sociteies and the Economy

Sphere of exchange are hierarchical restrictions on the flow and exchange of goods according to the kind of good and the value attached to the kinds of goods in a certain sphere. Among the Tiv people, at the bottom of the hierarchy was subsistence items such as locally produced foodstuffs and household items. Above that, goods such as cloth, cattle, slaves and copper bars were associated with prestige and the highest sphere was the rights in humans; women exchanges in marriage between kin groups. Trading across the spheres was perceived as acceptable if one converts from the a lower sphere in order to acquire commodities in a higher sphere, with the ultimate goal being to convert subsistence wealth into women(the rights in humans). On the other hand it is thought as bad to trade downwards. In addition to Bohannans modeling of the spheres of exchange, Guyer adds an extension by considering a larger geographic area and by so doing, slightly altering underlying notions of Bohannans model. By covering a larger geographical region and not concentrating on a single people group, trading and exchanges between different groups changes the concepts of conveyance and conversion. I find this particularly helpful to think about how indeed the economic practices of a region is dictated by the society. Transplanting a western economic model into nonwestern societies comes with the repercussion of changing the dynamics within the society itself.