Abstract

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 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.

Highlights

  • She considers that Mazatec language revitalization in Nda Xo owes much of its success to the use of singing as “a third linguistic mode,” one that is “relatively rarely considered in its own right alongside writing and speaking” (p. 18)

  • When discussing the emergence of the Mazatec Indigenous Church, Faudree shows how the radical innovations introduced in local religious practice by Heriberto Prado, Sierra Mazateca’s own Martin Luther, have encountered suspicion, perplexity, and disdain from Nda Xo’s residents and other cultural activists

  • Critics of the nativist church often point out that its practice contradicts collective work ethos and mushroom ingestion rules, among other “traditional” codes of behavior

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Summary

Introduction

She considers that Mazatec language revitalization in Nda Xo owes much of its success to the use of singing as “a third linguistic mode,” one that is “relatively rarely considered in its own right alongside writing and speaking” (p. 18). Title The Good Life: Aspiration, Dignity, and the Anthropology of Wellbeing When discussing the emergence of the Mazatec Indigenous Church, Faudree shows how the radical innovations introduced in local religious practice by Heriberto Prado, Sierra Mazateca’s own Martin Luther, have encountered suspicion, perplexity, and disdain from Nda Xo’s residents and other cultural activists.

Results
Conclusion

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