Reciprocity and Free Hospitality Concept: CouchSurfing Network in Riga
RIGA STRADINS UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF COMMUNICATIONS
MASTER’S STUDY PROGRAM “SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY”
Essay in course
“Kinship”
Reciprocity and free hospitality concept.
CouchSurfing network in Riga.
1st years student
Ieva Irbina
Riga, 2013
The concept of reciprocity in the host - guest form has been recognized for centuries. The way of relationships between hosts and guests depends on many factors, including cultural concept of hospitality. During times host - guest concept obtained new expressions one of which is web based global free hospitality networks possible thanks to new technologies. There are many networks, but the most popular in Riga is CouchSurfing.org. According to CouchSurfing.org information there are 13379 active members in Riga.1 The aim of this paper is to examine the importance and ways of reciprocity in the non-monetary hospitality network in Riga.
This paper is composed of three parts. First one presents reciprocity idea in relations to free hospitality concept. This part is based on literature studies mainly from the range of economical reciprocity in social anthropology. The aim of first part is to find theoretical framework for future analysis. Second one presents idea of CouchSurfing.org as non-monetary or free hospitality network. In this part I focus on main idea of CouchSurfing.org, general rules and policy. The idea of this part is to determine level of mandatory reciprocity regulated by CouchSurfing.org owners.
Third part of this paper will focus on ways of reciprocity between CouchSurfing.org members in
Riga. The findings from field work research (participant observation, informal conversations, personal experience) suggest that the ways of reciprocity have changed over time, but have it changed type of reciprocity and with that idea of reciprocity itself?
Product and service exchange as a key method for balanced society control has been recognized since centuries. One of the most referenced book on
FACULTY OF COMMUNICATIONS
MASTER’S STUDY PROGRAM “SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY”
Essay in course
“Kinship”
Reciprocity and free hospitality concept.
CouchSurfing network in Riga.
1st years student
Ieva Irbina
Riga, 2013
The concept of reciprocity in the host - guest form has been recognized for centuries. The way of relationships between hosts and guests depends on many factors, including cultural concept of hospitality. During times host - guest concept obtained new expressions one of which is web based global free hospitality networks possible thanks to new technologies. There are many networks, but the most popular in Riga is CouchSurfing.org. According to CouchSurfing.org information there are 13379 active members in Riga.1 The aim of this paper is to examine the importance and ways of reciprocity in the non-monetary hospitality network in Riga.
This paper is composed of three parts. First one presents reciprocity idea in relations to free hospitality concept. This part is based on literature studies mainly from the range of economical reciprocity in social anthropology. The aim of first part is to find theoretical framework for future analysis. Second one presents idea of CouchSurfing.org as non-monetary or free hospitality network. In this part I focus on main idea of CouchSurfing.org, general rules and policy. The idea of this part is to determine level of mandatory reciprocity regulated by CouchSurfing.org owners.
Third part of this paper will focus on ways of reciprocity between CouchSurfing.org members in
Riga. The findings from field work research (participant observation, informal conversations, personal experience) suggest that the ways of reciprocity have changed over time, but have it changed type of reciprocity and with that idea of reciprocity itself?
Product and service exchange as a key method for balanced society control has been recognized since centuries. One of the most referenced book on
Bibliography: Kolm, Serge Christophe. Reciprocity. An Economics of Social Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006 Osiel, Mark. The End of Reciprocity. Terror, Torture, And the Law of War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009 20.2 (1991): 155-167. Print. (2010). Print. CouchSurfing.org at http://www.couchsurfing.org accessed 1 August, 2013 Wikipedia contributors