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Networks of Well-being in the Global South: A Critical Review of Current Scholarship

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  • Alude Mahali

    (Human Sciences Research Council, University of KwaZulu-Natal)

  • Ingrid Lynch

    (Human Sciences Research Council, Rhodes University)

  • Angelina Wilson Fadiji

    (Human Sciences Research Council)

  • Tsidiso Tolla

    (Human Sciences Research Council)

  • Sinakekelwe Khumalo

    (Human Sciences Research Council)

  • Sara Naicker

    (University of Witwatersrand)

Abstract

The subject of human well-being continues to gain traction in disciplines as diverse as psychology, sociology, development studies, and economics. Current scholarship, however, is still largely framed by normative assumptions about what being well means, and the overwhelming majority of conceptual approaches to well-being being have been conceived and applied by researchers in the industrialized, wealthy contexts of the global North. We critique the current conceptualizations of well-being and assess their applicability to research in the global south, particularly in contexts marked by poverty and inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Alude Mahali & Ingrid Lynch & Angelina Wilson Fadiji & Tsidiso Tolla & Sinakekelwe Khumalo & Sara Naicker, 2018. "Networks of Well-being in the Global South: A Critical Review of Current Scholarship," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 34(4), pages 373-400, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:34:y:2018:i:4:p:373-400
    DOI: 10.1177/0169796X18786137
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    References listed on IDEAS

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