Sharing

Sharing is a particularly versatile and widespread human practice that features in all domains of life, including religion politics, family economics. It has long ethnographic record but it only recently reached centre stage social theory public awareness. However, not everything called ‘sharing’ qualifies as such comparative more technical sense. This entry seeks to distinguish sharing from other transfers, alms- gift-giving, resource pooling, redistribution. here defined ‘allowing others access what valued’, an activity necessarily initiated or desired by the person who gives. can help humans solve problems distribution, may also generate require culturally specific answers: What should be shared, with whom under which conditions? are prerequisites implications sharing? presents some cases found across world looks at how means level differences prevent accumulation wealth power. equally considers current inflational use label on-going attempts establish alternative forms economic transfers so-called ‘sharing economy’.