Is a gift always a gift? an ethnographic inquiry into the diversity of giving experiences
Abstract
The aim of the present research is to study how situations influence giving behaviors. An ethnographic study has been designed, based on depth interviews (life stories questions), diaries and observations of fifteen persons varying in socioeconomic and cultural characteristics. Several themes emerge from preliminary results: diversity of giving experiences, ordinary versus extraordinary; influence of emotions, especially in taking the giving behavior in action; influence of physical surroundings ; social dimensions of giving, individual versus social experience; importance of the life path and childhood in framing giving representations and learning to give.