New World of Gain: Europeans, Guaraní, and the Global Origins of Modern Economy

Brian P. Owensby's 'New World of Gain' reveals that the Guaraní people, through their mission societies in colonial Paraguay (1537–1810), sustained a social philosophy rooted in reciprocity and mutuality, contrasting sharply with the emerging European economy driven by gain. Using innovative analysis of Guaraní-language sources from the database 'Langues Générales d'Amérique du Sud,' Owensby demonstrates how the Guaraní's values of gift-giving and communal solidarity resisted European economic paradigms, even as they engaged with Atlantic markets. The study highlights the erosion of substantive mutuality in both European thought and Paraguayan society, while also exploring individual and communal resistance to transactional exchanges during the Bourbon reforms. Owensby's work challenges conventional narratives by centering Guaraní perspectives, offering a nuanced critique of Enlightenment perceptions of Indigenous societies.

Austin, S. M. (2023). New World of Gain: Europeans, Guaraní, and the Global Origins of Modern Economy. Hispanic American Historical Review, 103(1), 153–154. https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-10216560