Economy as intercultural challenge

This chapter argues that, rather than a uniform global global phenomenon, economy is culturally contingent, conditioned by historical, geographical, ecological, social and ideological factors. Contact between different cultural modes of economy can lead to friction making crises worse but may also hold potential to find creative solutions for contemporary problems. Following a summary of historical, geographical and conceptual frameworks that help the reader understand economy as culture culture , the chapter examines a key trope of mainstream economics, the universally rational actor. It then considers the 'informal' economy, showing how cultural embedding works, before introducing alternative models of economy, many with religious foundations.