Researching Happiness: Qualitative, Biographical and Critical Perspectives

Description

In the past, happiness studies has been dominated by the work of philosophers, economists and psychologists, but more recently there has been a growing interest from social scientist into the natures of happiness and wellbeing. This original collection draws on the latest empirical research to explore the practical challenges facing happiness researchers today, such as how to conduct happiness research in different cultural contexts, how to theorise wellbeing or how to operationalise definitions of happiness in qualitative and biographical research. By uniquely combining the critical approach of sociology with techniques from other disciplines, the contributors illuminate new approaches to the study of happiness and well-being.

Mark Cieslik is a sociologist in the Department of Social Sciences at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne.

"This collection showcases some of the latest qualitative research highlighting the value of sociological understandings of what it means to live well and be happy." Mary Holmes, University of Edinburgh "A must read for social scientists willing to recognise that living well, in all its myriad forms, is as important a measure of who we are as those structures that allegedly determine us." Steven Miles, Manchester Metropolitan University