Cultures of Wellbeing ― Method, Place, Policy

The authors challenge conventional psychological perspectives on happiness and subjective wellbeing, presenting an emergent, more socially grounded approach: relational wellbeing. Addressing the growing interest in happiness and wellbeing in public policy and practice, this edited collection combines critical conceptual analysis with case studies from across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the UK. It draws on different disciplines and explores wellbeing in relation to diverse aspects of life: health and physical activity; religion; migration; economic life; family relationships; landmine impact; national surveys and indigenous community identities. Highlighting the politics of research methodologies, the contributions explore complementarities and tensions between quantitative and qualitative methods; the significance of gender, life-course and place; and the role of culture and researchers' identities in shaping the accounts of wellbeing produced. Underlying the volume is a strong commitment to person-centred approaches which enable people to express what is important for wellbeing in their own terms.

Sarah C. White is Senior Lecturer in International Development and Wellbeing at the University of Bath, UK. She was Director of ESRC/DFID funded Wellbeing and Poverty Pathways, in India and Zambia (2010-2014). Previously she researched religion and wellbeing in India and Bangladesh and was involved in the ESRC–funded project 'Wellbeing in Developing Countries' (WeD).

Chloe Blackmore is Research Associate at the University of Bath, UK. She is interested in notions of responsible and sustainable wellbeing, and her current research focuses on global citizenship education using qualitative methods and evaluating educational initiatives in this field.