The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness

Anxieties, Hopes, and Moral Tensions in Everyday Life

Richard Madsen editor Becky Yang Hsu editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:11th Oct '19

Should be back in stock very soon

The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness cover

What defines "happiness," and how can we attain it? The ways in which people in China ask and answer this universal question tell a lot about the tensions and challenges they face during periods of remarkable political and economic change.

Based on a five-year original study conducted by a select team of China experts, The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness begins by asking if Chinese citizens’ assessment of their life is primarily a judgment of their social relationships. The book shows how different dimensions of happiness are manifest in the moral and ethical understandings that embed individuals in specific communities. Vividly describing the moral dilemmas experienced in contemporary Chinese society, the rituals of happiness performed in modern weddings, the practices of conviviality carried out in shared meals, the professional tensions confronted by social workers, and the hopes and frustrations shared by political reformers, the contributors to this important study illuminate the causes of anxiety and reasons for hope in China today.

"An invaluable contribution to diversifying and complicating the study of happiness across the world." * China Review International *
"This book is one of those rare edited volumes where all chapters are of high quality: beautifully written, theoretically thoughtful, and empirically grounded. The book is strongly recommended for anyone interested in the sociology of morality, cultural sociology, and contemporary China." * Contemporary Sociology *
"The volume offers nuanced and textured moral and ethical understandings of the good life in China at individual, familial, and societal levels. . . . It sets a high bar for future mappings of happiness imaginaries." * China Quarterly *

ISBN: 9780520306325

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 13mm

Weight: 318g

200 pages