This paper traces how the concept of 'values' developed in relation to varied understandings of capitalist wealth, including the perspective that 'value' is the dominant form that wealth takes within capitalist relations.
Paper long abstract:
This paper traces how the concept of 'values' developed in relation to varied understandings of capitalist wealth, including the perspective that 'value' is the dominant form that wealth takes within capitalist relations. Rather than seek after a 'unified theory of value/s' as many anthropologists have proposed, this paper examines how and why 'value' and 'values' developed as relatively separate and distinct objects of study. The paper situates the category 'values' within the broader development and spread of 'culture' as a concept.