Friday, August 26, 2016
Week 2 Prompt: An Anthropological View of Money
This week's readings provides an introduction to how anthropologists think about money. Thinking in particular about chapter 2 and 3 of "How Would You Like To Pay," what are some of the ways in which anthropologists approach money differently than other disciplines? In other words, how does Maurer help us think anthropologically about money?
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Maurer’s readings provide profound insights on what anthropologies think about money in today’s world, its historical context and on its technological and innovative transformations. The primary focus of Maurer’s study centered on “Safaricon, a Kenya’s M-Pesa service” mobile phone payment system in Kenya. In this study, the author compares this payment system with conventional monetary and digital payment system and gives resounding ratings to it for numerous reasons. In the first chapter, the author attempts to support the enormous benefits of this payment system, Maurer believes that this payment mechanism is an effective way to provide banking and other monetary services to many Kenyans that the formal banking or monetary system fail to deliver to many communities within Kenya and similarly globally. Through this mechanism, the author also posits that the “Safaricon, a Kenya’s M-Pesa service” system is a powerful poverty alleviation measure because of its success rates in Kenya, which contributes to its being implementation in many countries (p.13). Moreover, the author argues that this payment system is more beneficial to the poor because it is void of some of the exploitation of the monetary system, such as, transaction cost associated with many digital and online payment system. To the contrary, this system does transact at the face value of money as a medium of exchange, in other words, it does not charge extra cents to a dollar transaction, thus, avoiding exorbitant profiteering of the giant and conventional monetary system.
ReplyDeleteIn both chapter 2 and 3, the author explains what is money in two different scenarios that focus on the use of a card and physical cash in the daily life of two individuals. The author provides insight into deeper understanding in the Global North because money takes many different forms. It some instances, it flows as checks or direct deposits for job perform or payment receive at the end of a pay period, this characteristic manifests a transactional nature of money. In a critical analyzes, the author also invokes the problem associated with money especially when it fluctuates in its value. Another complex layer that the author explains associated with money with mobile phones is that it is more than just money because it is a “memory bank” (p.46). To demonstrate the complexities associated with money, the author argues that money is more than economics because it has purpose, moral as well as material traces of the relationship people have with others (p.48). Despite the above-highlighted problems, money and “silicon chips” or credit cards can all facilitate meeting the daily needs of individual, so it becomes a matter of choice either to opt for the other especially in the global north where the choice could be easily made.
In conclusion, anthropologies do not lose sight of the fact money and all its forms and services could be made available to many who has not been reached. However, no matter what form of money an individual chooses, it can facilitate fulfilment the daily needs of that individual for transactions and routines. Finally, anthropologies acknowledge the oversight function of money in a conventional matter but raise concern of who oversights payments or money with the use of digital and phones technology.
Being an Anthropologist, Maurer views money not just as way to buy things but as something bigger. Money allows us to do a multitude of things. It lets us fulfill our needs, wants and desires. Money can show our history- what we have had to work for, earn and save for. Money can show us the kind of people we are. It shows what we have invested in, indulged in and what we have saved for.
ReplyDeleteAnthropology allows us to view money not just as a piece of paper or a coin. Maurer states on page 46, "Money is also a system of relationships, a chain of promises, and a record of people's transactions with one another." Jany, from chapter 3, finds value in items other than cash. She trades vegetables with neighbors and even gives gold to her family in Cambodia. Money is just one way people can pay for goods or services. Maurer makes it so the reader can see money from the view points of other people and from himself. His perspective shows all that money can represent .
Maurer brings to light the many forms money can take and how these forms of payments have become a part of our everyday lives. We do not even think about the infrastructure, the regulatory framework or the cost consumers sometimes bare. It was mentioned that money takes a different form based on the level of wealth and that the poorer the people, the more physical cash will be used for transactions due to lack of chioces. Maurer also point out that costs can be incurred in our attempt to use money, whether by saving, helping others, fulfilling religious or community values or conversion from one currency to the other.
ReplyDeleteMaurer again indicate that money is not just in the form of cash but the “money world might be quite complex, where cash economy does not just mean cash” (p.44). He also draw a link between money and social relationship and other form of assets such as land, cattle shells and others which are seen as a store of value. “Money is far more than simply economic but is infused with meaning, morals and material traces of our relationship with others” (p.48). His views on money go beyond the classical functions of money and encompasses all other aspects as well as the system of relationships.
Maurer says that the relationship between money and humans is complicated. There are people who rely on their technology for monetary purposes, while there are other people who would use cash instead. For example, Clara in chapter 3 uses her cards to pay for her bus, groceries and other goods. In the other hand, Jany uses cash and exchanges vegetables and fruits with her neighbors. The only card Jany uses is her EBT card. In both situations, their routines include money at different times of the daily life but in different manner.
ReplyDeleteAnthropology sees money by how people interact with it and how it affects their life. At the same time, studies how different the past and the present interact with money and how will the future of the money could look like.
From Meagan:
ReplyDeleteIt seems obvious to consider money as a human and social construct. Hart and Hann outline the progress of the field of Economic Anthropology in the historical contexts of the two fields that merge to create it. Maurer brings this discussion into the modern world where technology dominates all layers of human existence.
Personally, I find resonance between the evolution of scholarly thought on money and the evolution of human consciousness at an individual level. That is, from infancy, humans relate first to the family and immediate relationships of their daily lives. As children grow, they begin to identify themselves as members of communities, and eventually, as global citizens. It is interesting that the field of economics began first to consider the framework of the household, and then of the kingdom, community and/or feudal state, and then considered transactions at the colonial level. At last, after we have reached the outer limits of our capacity to understand "economy" on a global scale, we turn our attention again to the behavior and choices of the individual.
When anthropologists enter the conversation, we see emphasis on personal choice, behavior and relationship. Like my classmates have noted, it is clear that we must think of money as more than "a piece of paper or a coin." I love the idea posed by Hart and Hann that "economy would mean putting one's house in order, both practically and figuratively" (p.35). I think it would be of great benefit in our global society for people to pay more attention to their own choices and actions and to their impact in the bigger picture of the world economy. Certainly money is a symbol, a tool, and a method of defining and limiting human relationships.
Bill Maurer discusses that money is far more being economic and that it is usually infused with meaning and materials that associated with relationship with others. This was evident in our first class discussion when we gave reasons for which an object was valuable. Not everyone expressed their benefits in monetary terms, for some, personal connections and emotions were associated with a valuable item. Aside the meanings that are associated with money, it is interesting to know that money can be in different forms, it can be stored on electronic and mobile communication devices or seen as physical cash. In the developing world, mobile phone services is increasing, people who do not have access to formal banking uses the mobile phone services. Consequently, filling a need-people can transfer money than other electronic alternatives. Nevertheless, in wealthy Northern countries, there is less need for such services, because of the reliability on other transfer services of money such as the use of a card. The era of new noncash systems, has brought changes in developing countries, especially for those who did not have access to formal banking.
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