Passivity, Agency, the Gift, and God

This chapter argues that theological claims about humanity can open up a new realm of thought for anthropology. This point is illustrated by considering Lutheran theological discussions of the role of passivity in shaping the gift relationship and indicating ways in which they could enrich anthropological debates around this classic disciplinary topic. In particular, I suggest that theological ideas of passivity profoundly challenge standard anthropological accounts of the role of the obligation to receive in the theory of the gift. The final part of the chapter uses the notion of passivity to initiate a consideration of some ways the disciplines of anthropology and theology are likely destined not to reach agreement through interdisciplinary dialogue: most notably on the issue of the distribution of passivity and agency between the human and the divine. Arguments about the nature of the gift are developed through discussion of materials from Papua New Guinea.