Ex-orbitant generosity: gifts of love in a cold cosmos

Clark, Nigel (2010). Ex-orbitant generosity: gifts of love in a cold cosmos. Parallax, 16(1) pp. 80–95.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13534640903478809

Abstract

This paper was written for a special issue on `the life of the gift' that explored themes of generosity in relation to embodiment, living things and materiality. The article looks at themes of generosity in the context of natural catastrophes - especially Hurricane Katrina. It suggests that theorists who face up to the opening of one person to another that characterizes `gifting' have a tendency to also be receptive to the idea that the earth is an open system, exposed to the energies and perturbations of the wider cosmos. The paper explores the connections between dispositions of generosity and the idea that we live on an inherently volatile planet, and proposes that one of the `primordial' forms of gifting is the offer of safe and stable ground to those who have been thrown off course by the upheavals of their environment.

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