Pursuits of Happiness : Well-Being in Anthropological Perspective

Anthropology Has Long Shied Away From Examining How Human Beings May Lead Happy And Fulfilling Lives. This Book, However, Shows That The Ethnographic Examination Of Well-being - Defined As The Optimal State For An Individual, A Community, And A Society--and The Comparison Of Well-being Within And Across Societies Is A New And Important Area For Anthropological Inquiry. Distinctly Different In Different Places, But Also Reflecting Our Common Humanity, Well-being Is Intimately Linked To The Idea Of Happiness And Its Pursuits. Noted Anthropological Researchers Have Come Together In This Volume To Examine Well-being In A Range Of Diverse Ways And To Investigate It In A Range Of Settings: From The Peruvian Amazon, The Australian Outback, And The Canadian North, To India, China, Indonesia, Japan, And The United States.--jacket. Why Anthropology Can Ill Afford To Ignore Well-being / Neil Thin -- Is A Measure Of Cultural Well-being Possible Or Desirable? / Benjamin Nick Colby -- Well-being Among The Matsigenka Of The Peruvian Amazon : Health, Missions, Oil, And Progress / Carolina Izquierdo -- Embodied Selves And Social Selves : Aboriginal Well-being In Rural New South Wales, Australia / Daniela Heil -- The Shifting Landscape Of Cree Well-being / Naomi Adelson -- Well-being : Lessons From India / Steve Derné -- Well-being, Cultural Pathology, And Personal Rejuvenation In A Chinese City, 1981-2005 / William Jankowiak -- Finding And Keeping A Purpose In Life : Well-being And Ikigai In Japan And Elsewhere / Gordon Mathews -- Pleasure Experienced : Well-being And The Japanese Bath / Scott Clark -- Selfscapes Of Well-being In A Rural Indonesian Village / Douglas Hollan -- Well-being And Sustainability Of Daily Routines : Families With Children With Disabilities In The United States / Thomas S. Weisner. Edited By Gordon Mathews And Carolina Izquierdo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.