Negotiating Well-Being in Central Asia

<p>Much scholarship of any region focuses on the perceived problems that hold back a population. Central Asia is no exception as it is a region with political economic and environmental problems that seem to keep Central Asians from a better future. Alongside all the struggles of life however are relationships of meaning and wellness that contribute to a life worth living. Recognizing the struggles of everyday life contributors to this book explore how people navigate relationships to find meaning how elders attempt to re-establish morality and how development workers pursue new futures. Such futures centre around the role of family friends and meaningful employment in yielding contentment; and the influence of Islam ethnicity and hospitality on community.</p><p></p><p>The first regional collection to take well-being as a frame of analysis the contributors show how visions spaces and cosmologies of well-being inform everyday life in Central Asia. This volume will appeal not only to those interested in Central Asia but more broadly to anyone concerned with how taking well-being into account better captures the complex realities of life in any region.</p><p></p><p>This book was published as a special issue of <em>Central Asian Survey</em>.</p>