A Passion for Giving, a Passion for Sharing

This contribution explores knowledge-based interactions among academics through the lens of gift exchange theory. Drawing from interviews conducted in France and Germany, it first reviews the diversity of contexts and reasons for knowledge sharing, then analyzes the processes and the implicit rules that govern them. The use of gift exchange theory brings to light several paradoxes inherent in interactions among members of the academic community, and it offers a fresh way of looking at power, status, and emotions in exchange processes.

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