We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
The Dao of Happiness in Contemporary China: On the Encompassing Meanings and Affects of "Xingfu".
- Authors
HIZI, GIL
- Abstract
The notion of happiness has been extended in recent decades from a quality of well-being to a value-laden concept employed in political campaigns, development plans, commercial advertising, and transnational psychology. In China, the term xingfu has extended through this tendency, articulated as an equivalent of deep-seated individualised "happiness," while also carrying elements of livelihood and social welfare. Drawing on fieldwork in psychological workshops and diverse academic and political texts, this article conceptualises the semiotic and communicative attributes of xingfu in Chinese society today. I define xingfu as a contemporary dao, in the sense that it emerges as a consensual priority that alludes to seeming universal humanity, which may be employed to validate other political agendas, while it also activates diverse interactions and imaginaries that extend beyond preexisting or fixed priorities.
- Subjects
CHINA; HAPPINESS; POLITICAL campaigns; POLITICAL agenda; POSITIVE psychology
- Publication
China Perspectives, 2024, Issue 139, p81
- ISSN
2070-3449
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.4000/130gv