Oikos and surplus: the search for an anthropological economics

This paper, building on recent contributions from Cesaratto and Di Bucchianico, explores the possibilities offered by an ‘anthropological economics’. De L’Estoile has highlighted economic anthropology’s problematic tendency to self-define in opposition to the study of ‘modern’ economy, and the risks of depoliticisation engendered by a reliance on the category of the ‘economic’. As an alternative, he proposes an anthropology of oikonomia — the practices and imaginaries through which people ‘govern the house’ (oikos), and strive for a ‘good life’. But does grappling with oikonomia require moving beyond the ‘economic’ altogether? An ‘anthropological economics’ approach may provide a pathway through these problems. Synthesising elements of substantivism and the classical surplus approach, ‘anthropological economics’ aims to illuminate the ways in which political, social and moral practices and ideas shape distribution. At its heart, then, is an inquiry into the relationship of oikonomia and production — of oikos and surplus. For illustration, the paper considers applications of an anthropological economics approach to two important topics: capitalist penetration in (post)colonial contexts, and crises of social reproduction in post-industrial societies. It concludes by considering the relevance of anthropological economics to the broader struggle for a ‘human economy’, directed towards human wellbeing rather than merely material abundance.