Alternative Exchanges : Second-Hand Circulations from the Sixteenth Century to the Present

Exchanges have always had more than economic significance: values circulate and encounters become institutionalized. This volume explores the changing meaning of the circulation of second-hand goods from the Renaissance to today, and thereby examines the blurring of boundaries between market, gifts, and charity. It describes the actors of the market - official entities such as corporations, recognized professions, and established markets but also the subterranean circulation that develops around the need for money. The complex layers that not only provide for numerous intermediaries but also include the many men and women who, as sellers or buyers, use these circulations on countless occasions are also examined.

Laurence Fontaine studied History and Sociology at Paris-Sorbonne University and was appointed by the C.N.R.S. in 1989. She was Professor in the History Department of the European University Institute, Florence, Italy from 1995 until 2003 and is currently Directrice de Recherche in the C.N.R.S., attached to the EHESS in Paris.