Introduction: well-being’s re-proportioning of social thought

In describing the Nuer of the southern Sudan, Evans-Pritchard describes Nuer happiness as ‘that in which a family possesses several lactating cows, for then the children are well-nourished and there is a surplus that can be devoted to cheese-making and to assisting kinsmen and entertaining guests.’ (Evans-Pritchard 1940: 21) This is in line with the Nuer’s larger interest in cattle. Men are addressed by names that describe the colour and shape of their favourite oxen; women and children often take their names 1 from the cows they milk. Cattle names also figure profusely in songs and poems; and it is cattle, too, that are used to prescribe marriage payments, and to define kinship rights and obligations. Moreover, men establish contact with the spirits of their ancestors through cattle. Kinship and genealogy are thus expressed through the movement, transference and circulation of cattle.Peer reviewe

‘Madrid ‘en construcción’: polis y apocalipsis en una sociedad hipotecaria’

Este artículo versa sobre los modos en que un grupo de jóvenes profesionales residentes en Madrid se representan el funcionamiento de la economía política y la convivencia democrática a través de la imaginación de la ciudad (polis) como escenario inmobiliario e hipotecario. Tal escenario define y da forma a la ciudad como proceso político ‘en construcción’, que se auto-genera precisamente por no estar todavía terminado, por habitar una suerte de límite o apocalipsis democrático. Qué significa habitar este espacio apocalíptico, y qué rasgos le atribuyen mis informadores, es lo que el artículo intenta explicar.Peer reviewe

What Is Analysis? Between Theory, Ethnography, and Method

Recent years in anthropology have seen a noticeable trend, moving from debates about theory to a concern with method. So while some generations ago we would tend to identify ourselves as anthropologists with reference to particular theoretical paradigms-for example, Marxism, (post-)structuralism, cognitivism, cultural materialism, interpretivism-these days our tendency is to align ourselves, often eclectically, with proposals conceived as methodological: entanglements, assemblages, ontologies, technologies of description, epistemic partnerships, problematizations, collaborative anthropology, the art of noticing, and so onPeer Reviewe

Wellbeing research in developing countries: reviewing the role of qualitative methods

The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of wellbeing among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people’s perceptions and experiences. Some of these come from Young Lives, an innovative long-term international research project investigating the changing nature of child poverty in India, Ethiopia, Peru and Vietnam (http://www.younglives.org.uk), and others from the Wellbeing in Developing Countries ESRC research group (WeD), an international, inter-disciplinary project exploring the social and cultural construction of wellbeing in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru and Thailand (http://www.welldev.org.uk). The authors show how qualitative methods can be used both alongside and as part of the development of sensitive and relevant quantitative measures, and provide some practical and methodological recommendations. They propose that qualitative approaches are essential in understanding people’s experiences of wellbeing, both now and in the future. However, the authors caution that while these offer many benefits, for example, a less structured and hierarchical engagement between researcher and participant; they require time, energy, and sensitivity. Qualitative methods also work best when used by trained and experienced researchers working in the local language/s in a community where some rapport has already been established. Finally, the paper recommends combining data from qualitative and quantitative approaches (e.g. psychological measures or household surveys) to enhance its explanatory power