Aging and exchange: Differences between black and white elders

This article, which is based on anthropological fieldwork, examines black-white differences in the reciprocal exchanges of services and support between elders and persons in their exchange networks. Systematically collected qualitative and quantitative data revealed multiple dimensions of exchanges, including a temporal dimension that allows for past, present, ongoing, and potential support; this dimension is important for understanding apparent imbalances in informants' exchanges. The data also revealed that black and white elders attributed different meanings to the exchange of similar items. This finding suggests that the most important difference between the two groups may be in the realm of meaning rather than in the nature of the exchanges. The authors discuss the extent to which such differences might be attributed to cultural and socioeconomic forces, both independently and interactively.