Malinowski and the Metaurus Hills

In his book Argonauts of the Western Pacific, Bronisław Malinowski recounts the customs of the Trobriand Islanders, focusing in particular on the so-called Kula Ring: a system of ceremonial exchange between several islands in the Western Pacific.

The inhabitants exchange two types of objects: necklaces of red shells and bracelets of white shells. The function of the exchange is not economic in the Western sense, but serves to create social bonds, prestige, and mutual obligations between individuals and communities. The thesis is that the distinction between us and savages concerns institutions rather than spirit. Malinowski demonstrates that pre-literate societies behave in ways we understand. Their behavior can be explained in terms of institutions that stimulate motives other than those that drive us to act, but which are not alien to us. Ancient societies accessed the means of subsistence through forms of the market, redistribution, and reciprocity. But the former is strongly discouraged because it can undermine community solidarity and, in some ways, develops only when it can be controlled through "social" rules. The production and distribution of material goods are embedded in social relationships that are not economic in nature. Neither work, nor the availability of goods, nor distribution are motivated by economic factors (profit, fear of hunger, etc.). The economic system, although present, is not separate: it is the byproduct of the functioning of other institutions that are not economic in nature. These situations may seem distant, but if you pass through a small town in the Marche hinterland, you can find a family living in the Trobriand style: for them, the economy is based on reciprocity and is embedded within relationships of giving and "counter-giving."

Davide and Annalisa collect clothes that Caritas donates to people in need; their home is on loan from the diocese; they obtain food from surplus stock at a supermarket: they take what they need and donate the rest to other communities. Their salary, which would integrate them into the market economy, is "neutralized." It's entirely paid into the coffers of the Papa Giovanni XXIII Community, from which they can withdraw whatever they deem necessary for the current month's expenses. At the moment, they welcome a young man who hugs you tightly and kisses you when he senses you're sad, a student living away from home who lost her scholarship, and a girl entrusted to social services. It's not a dream, but a daily practice, and if you pass by the Colli del Metauro, you'll see why.


NP November 2025
Fabrizio Floris