Full Description
From Bitcoin to Apple Pay, big changes seem to be afoot in the world of money. Yet the use of coins and paper bills has persisted for 3,000 years. In How Would You Like to Pay?, leading anthropologist Bill Maurer narrates money's history, considers its role in everyday life, and discusses the implications of how new technologies are changing how we pay. These changes are especially important in the developing world, where people who lack access to banks are using cell phones in creative ways to send and save money. To truly understand money, Maurer explains, is to understand and appreciate the complex infrastructures and social relationships it relies on. Engaging and straightforward, How Would You Like to Pay? rethinks something so familiar and fundamental in new and exciting ways. Ultimately, considering how we would like to pay gives insights into determining how we would like to live.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction. Who This Book Is For 1
1. Disruptions in Money 17
2. What Is Money? 37
3. Two Scenarios: A Day in the Money Life 51
4. The Evolution of Money 63
5. Use Cases for Money 79
6. What's in Your Wallet? 95
7. What Can You Do with a Mobile Phone? 107
8. Airtime 119
9. Monetary Repertoires 129
For Further Reading 145
Index 153
