EXCHANGE, MORALITY AND CONFLICT

Continuing a long tradition of anthropological analysis, this article reflects on the methodological and epistemological relevance of the anthropological concept of exchange in understanding the moral dimension of certain conflicts. The ethnographic analysis of the ways in which such conflicts are addressed in the context of a local consumer protection office highlights the sociological articulation of exchange, morality, and conflict. Consumers' demands in this area generally exceed their strictly economic dimension and highlight the complex moral background that sustains them. Thus, exchange, morality, and conflict result in interdependent sociological categories that require a specific kind of anthropological approach.