Research Catalog

The good life : aspiration, dignity, and the anthropology of wellbeing / Edward F. Fischer.

Title
The good life : aspiration, dignity, and the anthropology of wellbeing / Edward F. Fischer.
Author
Fischer, Edward F., 1966-
Publication
Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2014.

Details

Description
xii, 263 pages : illustrations; 23 cm
Summary
What could middle-class German supermarket shoppers buying eggs and impoverished coffee farmers in Guatemala possibly have in common? Both groups use the market in pursuit of the "good life." But what exactly is the good life? How do we define wellbeing beyond material standards of living? While we all may want to live the good life, we differ widely on just what that entails. In The Good Life, Edward Fischer examines wellbeing in very different cultural contexts to uncover shared notions of the good life and how best to achieve it. With fascinating on-the-ground narratives of Germans' choices regarding the purchase of eggs and cars, and Guatemalans' trade in coffee and cocaine, Fischer presents a richly layered understanding of how aspiration, opportunity, dignity, and purpose comprise the good life.
Alternative Title
  • Anthropology of wellbeing
  • Aspiration, dignity, and the anthropology of wellbeing
Subject
  • Anthropology > economics
  • Aspirations, Psychological
  • Economic anthropology
  • Economic anthropology > Cross-cultural studies
  • Germany > Economic conditions > 1990-
  • Guatemala > Economic conditions > 1985-
  • Life Style
  • Quality of Life
  • Quality of life
  • Quality of life > Cross-cultural studies
  • Quality of life > Germany
  • Quality of life > Guatemala
  • Well-being
  • Well-being > Cross-cultural studies
  • Well-being > Germany
  • Well-being > Guatemala
Genre/Form
Cross-cultural studies
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Language (note)
  • Text in English.
Processing Action (note)
  • committed to retain
Contents
Introduction : the good life : values, markets, and wellbeing -- Values and prices : the case of German eggs -- Word, deed, and preferences -- Moral provenance and larger purposes -- Solidarity, dignity, and opportunity -- Provenance and values : the case of Guatemalan coffee -- Agency, opportunity, and frustrated freedoms -- Experiments in fairness and dignity -- Narco-trafficking and violence -- Conclusion : the good life and positive anthropology.
ISBN
  • 9780804790963
  • 0804790965
  • 9780804792530
  • 0804792534
LCCN
^^2014003996