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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fischer, Edward F., 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Well-being--Cross-cultural studies.

Well-being.

Quality of life--Cross-cultural studies.

Quality of life.

Economic anthropology--Cross-cultural studies.

Economic anthropology.

Genre:

Cross-cultural studies.

Physical Description:

xii, 263 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2014.

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 well-being 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. Book jacket.

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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-251) and index.

ISBN:

9780804790963

0804790965

9780804792530

0804792534

OCLC:

870248699