11

This text is a modest contribution to the construction of a theory of grace from the point of view of the anthropology of the gift. I will argue that such a theory is both necessary and extremely promising. However, very little has been done until now on this subject. In general, sociologists and anthropologists have neglected the theme of grace, while theologians seem to ignore sociological work on the gift, for instance the theory of M. Mauss. My text will be divided in two parts: I first offer a quick overview of the current state of the anthropology of grace and in a second part, some propositions about how such a gift-theoretical research on grace should be undertaken.