Relational Gifting: Conceptual Frameworks and an Agenda for a New Generation of Research.

This article focuses on advancing the study of relational gifting—gifts exchanged among known social connections aimed at relationship work and care—by proposing three under-explored research areas: (1) the evolving and contextualized experience of a gift in recipients' lives, (2) the dynamics of gifting within social relationships over time, termed the "gift circuit," and (3) relational gifting as a dynamic gift system that reflects and shapes social structures and networks of care. It argues that gifting should be understood as a longitudinal, social, and cultural process beyond the moment of gift exchange, emphasizing how gifts influence relationships, identities, and social hierarchies over time. The article calls for interdisciplinary research employing psychological, sociological, anthropological, and network analysis methods to deepen understanding of how relational gifts function within and impact social fields, including their role in reinforcing or altering social ties, care networks, and systems of exclusion.