Its origins as a sub-field of anthropology begin with the Polish-British founder of anthropology, Bronisław Malinowski, and his French compatriot, Marcel Mauss, on the nature of gift-giving exchange (or reciprocity) as an alternative to market exchange.
ɪts ˈɔːɹɪdʒˌɪnz æz ɐ sˈʌbfˈiːld ʌv ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒi bɪɡˈɪn wɪððə pˈoʊlɪʃbɹˈɪɾɪʃ fˈaʊndɚɹ ʌv ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒi, bɹˈɑːnɪslˌɔː mˌeɪlɪnˈoʊski, ænd hɪz fɹˈɛntʃ kəmpˈeɪtɹɪət, mɑːɹsˈɛl mˈɔːs, ɔnðə nˈeɪtʃɚɹ ʌv ɡˈɪftɡˈɪvɪŋ ɛkstʃˈeɪndʒ ɔːɹ ɹᵻsɪpɹˈɑːsᵻɾi æz ɐn ɔːltˈɜːnətˌɪv tə mˈɑːɹkɪt ɛkstʃˈeɪndʒ.