Citation

Cartelier J. Camb. J. Econ. 2007; 31(2): 217-233.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Cambridge Political Economy Society, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/cje/bel022

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show that money is not an entity but hic et nunc a genuine mode of circulation associated with a genuine social organisation. Criticising money hypostasis may help to to: (i) elucidate the ambivalence of monetary relations in our modern society (equivalence and subordination); (ii) criticise the idea that 'primitive monies' are nothing but imperfect forms of our modern money and show that exotic societies are worth studying for themselves; and (iii) relativise the knowledge we have about our societies and to develop comparative analysis. A sketchy comparison between wodani society and ours suggests that an abduction relation exists between money and society.