Acknowledgments  vii

Introduction. Who This Book Is For  1

1. Disruptions in Money  17

2. What Is Money?  37

3. Two Scenarios: A Day in the Money Life  51

4. The Evolution of Money  63

5. Use Cases for Money  79

6. What's in Your Wallet?  95

7. What Can You Do with a Mobile Phone?  107

8. Airtime  119

9. Monetary Repertoires  129

For Further Reading  145

Index  153

"In the end, How Would You Like to Pay? is of interest less for what it says about the future (the author makes no predictions -- which, given the Isis debacle, seems prudent) than for how it encourages the reader to pay attention to nuances of the present. It’s a primer of the anthropological imagination -- and a reminder that money is too important a matter to leave to the economists." — Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed

"This little book is the exact size it needed to be to explore the array of new payment methods, currencies and other money technology innovations that have erupted over the past decade, alongside with more accessible and cheaper smartphone, tablet and other communications and computing technologies.... Entering electronic money contracts without understanding the problems and solutions they represent is risky both for the isolated farmer in Kenya and for a Silicon Valley executive, so both would benefit from this book." — Anna Faktorovich, Pennsylvania Literary Journal

"How Would You Like to Pay? by anthropologist Bill Maurer is a reminder that we can learn from anthropology as well. Maurer takes a broad look at the history and various forms of money and makes several important points that should be seriously considered by economists."  — James J. Angel, Journal of Economic Literature

"As an anthropologist, Bill Maurer has spent the past two decades researching the cultural and social dynamics of money. In his latest book, he manages to condense his life’s research into one gripping, bite-sized read that is accessible to a diverse range of readers from the artist and software programmer to the financial regulator or economist." — Scott Burns, The Independent Review

"Maurer’s latest book is a . . . highly accessible introduction to the complex topic of payment systems. Written in an engagingly informal style accompanied by eye-catching photographs, it is an excellent teaching resource that will surely become a standard feature of reading lists in undergraduate courses in economic anthropology and the anthropology of finance and money."  — John Cox, Anthropological Forum

"[T]he book gives in a very accessible and short text enough arguments for anthropologists to start taking seriously payment systems, technologies, and money uses, in the interaction between states, corporations, and people with very different access to wealth and political participation. It shows these are fundamental components of everyday life, and of any attempt to tackle poverty." — Horacio Ortiz, Anthropos

"Maurer’s volume is beautifully produced and pocket-sized, with lots of sharp illustrations in full colour and generous spacing.... Maurer’s book is for anyone interested in the future of money. That is a lot of people. It aims to surprise readers by approaching money in ways that are at once counter-intuitive and familiar." — Keith Hart, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"Maurer’s careful attention to demystifying payment terminology such as blockchain or decentralized peer networks makes understanding digital currency possible for a wider audience.... Maurer poses important and timely questions of how we will imagine money in the context of technical affordances and society."
  — Ashley Cordes, New Media & Society

"Bill Maurer’s short, pocket-sized, succinct, lively, and sharply clear book on a vast and varied topic—the history and practice of monetary payments, worldwide—works like a skillfully cut gemstone. Keep turning, keep noticing new facets of the complexly brilliant entity that is money, as perceived and crafted for accessible view by an expert in reaching a wide and varied audience." — Jane I. Guyer, Journal of Anthropological Research

"In the end, How Would You Like to Pay? is of interest less for what it says about the future (the author makes no predictions -- which, given the Isis debacle, seems prudent) than for how it encourages the reader to pay attention to nuances of the present. It’s a primer of the anthropological imagination -- and a reminder that money is too important a matter to leave to the economists." —Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed

"This little book is the exact size it needed to be to explore the array of new payment methods, currencies and other money technology innovations that have erupted over the past decade, alongside with more accessible and cheaper smartphone, tablet and other communications and computing technologies.... Entering electronic money contracts without understanding the problems and solutions they represent is risky both for the isolated farmer in Kenya and for a Silicon Valley executive, so both would benefit from this book." —Anna Faktorovich, Pennsylvania Literary Journal

"How Would You Like to Pay? by anthropologist Bill Maurer is a reminder that we can learn from anthropology as well. Maurer takes a broad look at the history and various forms of money and makes several important points that should be seriously considered by economists."  —James J. Angel, Journal of Economic Literature

"As an anthropologist, Bill Maurer has spent the past two decades researching the cultural and social dynamics of money. In his latest book, he manages to condense his life’s research into one gripping, bite-sized read that is accessible to a diverse range of readers from the artist and software programmer to the financial regulator or economist." —Scott Burns, The Independent Review

"Maurer’s latest book is a . . . highly accessible introduction to the complex topic of payment systems. Written in an engagingly informal style accompanied by eye-catching photographs, it is an excellent teaching resource that will surely become a standard feature of reading lists in undergraduate courses in economic anthropology and the anthropology of finance and money."  —John Cox, Anthropological Forum

"[T]he book gives in a very accessible and short text enough arguments for anthropologists to start taking seriously payment systems, technologies, and money uses, in the interaction between states, corporations, and people with very different access to wealth and political participation. It shows these are fundamental components of everyday life, and of any attempt to tackle poverty." —Horacio Ortiz, Anthropos

"Maurer’s volume is beautifully produced and pocket-sized, with lots of sharp illustrations in full colour and generous spacing.... Maurer’s book is for anyone interested in the future of money. That is a lot of people. It aims to surprise readers by approaching money in ways that are at once counter-intuitive and familiar." —Keith Hart, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"Maurer’s careful attention to demystifying payment terminology such as blockchain or decentralized peer networks makes understanding digital currency possible for a wider audience.... Maurer poses important and timely questions of how we will imagine money in the context of technical affordances and society."
  —Ashley Cordes, New Media & Society

"Bill Maurer’s short, pocket-sized, succinct, lively, and sharply clear book on a vast and varied topic—the history and practice of monetary payments, worldwide—works like a skillfully cut gemstone. Keep turning, keep noticing new facets of the complexly brilliant entity that is money, as perceived and crafted for accessible view by an expert in reaching a wide and varied audience." —Jane I. Guyer, Journal of Anthropological Research

"A lucid and entertaining work that shines a light on many of the complexities of money and payments. Bill Maurer makes us realize—and remember—that money is not just economics and process, but also an integral part of human life, and that the psychology and behavioral dynamics around money are just as important to understand as the business aspects. A must-read!"  — Carol Coye Benson, Glenbrook Partners

Permission to Photocopy (coursepacks)

If you are requesting permission to photocopy material for classroom use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at copyright.com;

If the Copyright Clearance Center cannot grant permission, you may request permission from our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Permission to Reprint

If you are requesting permission to reprint DUP material (journal or book selection) in another book or in any other format, contact our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Images/Art

Many images/art used in material copyrighted by Duke University Press are controlled, not by the Press, but by the owner of the image. Please check the credit line adjacent to the illustration, as well as the front and back matter of the book for a list of credits. You must obtain permission directly from the owner of the image. Occasionally, Duke University Press controls the rights to maps or other drawings. Please direct permission requests for these images to permissions@dukeupress.edu.
For book covers to accompany reviews, please contact the publicity department.

Subsidiary Rights/Foreign Translations

If you're interested in a Duke University Press book for subsidiary rights/translations, please contact permissions@dukeupress.edu. Include the book title/author, rights sought, and estimated print run.

Disability Requests

Instructions for requesting an electronic text on behalf of a student with disabilities are available here.

Rights & Permissions Contact Information

Email: permissions@dukeupress.edu

Email contact for coursepacks: asstpermissions@dukeupress.edu

Fax: 919-688-4574

Mail:
Duke University Press
Rights and Permissions
905 W. Main Street
Suite 18B
Durham, NC 27701

For all requests please include:

1. Author's name. If book has an editor that is different from the article author, include editor's name also.

2. Title of the journal article or book chapter and title of journal or title of book

3. Page numbers (if excerpting, provide specifics)

For coursepacks, please also note: The number of copies requested, the school and professor requesting

For reprints and subsidiary rights, please also note: Your volume title, publication date, publisher, print run, page count, rights sought