<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type> Gifts, donations, and charity help shape society and can be regarded as virtual social and political constants. For the first time, this volume uses a range of scholarly perspectives and cultural comparison to examine the tensions, conflicts, and the social and religious transformation processes that have shaped philanthropy in European and non-European societies to this day.
