Towards a Marriage between Economics and Anthropology and a General Theory of Marriage

Abstract

Historically, there have been clear lines of demarcation between economics and anthropology. Mary Douglas, p. 781, asserts that centripetal forces attract resources towards the center of a discipline and discourage turbulence at the boundaries of a subject out of fear of losing autonomy. If she is correct, then the present division of the social sciences may not be more than a historical accident, another instance of institutional self-perpetuation. This paper is a declaration of turbulence. Building on the present trend to stretch disciplinary boundaries, it proposes a unification between economics and anthropology. As a first step, it is suggested that our disciplines could jointly work towards a general study of marriage.