For many countries around the world, December is an intense, commercialised period of gift-giving. Not just within families but across all sorts of relationships, such as gifts between buyers and service providers. Gift-giving, the act of presenting someone with a gift is intended to convey thoughtfulness, appreciation, or goodwill.
The gift can be a tangible item, experience, personal time or gesture. It’s an age-old tradition found across cultures and societies, carrying various meanings and functions that help shape human relationships. I’m the university chair in African philanthropy at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment at Wits Business School in South Africa.
The centre is Africa’s first and only place of scholarship, teaching and research in this field. I’ve undertaken various studies looking at where gifting came from as a human behaviour, and its history in Africa. Gifting began in Africa, when the first humans like us emerged.
It then evolved as people migrated and was adapted to fit different cultures. Early examples involved the transfer of cattle or women to seal relationships between groups. Today, it is exemplified by exchanges of gifts between countries during state visits and has evolved into practices like philanthropy.
Giving is something that takes place outside households and celebrations, typically to create or seal relationships. By examining the full history of giving, we’re able to trace its fascinating evolution and th.