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Where is happiness? A cultural analysis of the emotional practices

Ichiba, Kazumi LU (2020) TKAM02 20201
Division of Ethnology
Abstract
Happiness is an affect. Affects are thought to be part of our subjective experiences. In the past, human beings have constructed complex relationships with happiness outside of ourselves. Since sociocultural values laden to happiness established various linkages with objects, happiness seemed to become materialised and accessible, which is expressed, for example, as the UN’s World Happiness Report. Simultaneously, the usage of happiness by the UN, connecting countries (objects) and happiness, is detached from happiness as an affect. If every human being’s goal is to be happy (Ahmed, 2007, p 7), it is time to pay attention to our relationships with happiness. From an ethnological perspective, I investigate where and how happiness resides in... (More)
Happiness is an affect. Affects are thought to be part of our subjective experiences. In the past, human beings have constructed complex relationships with happiness outside of ourselves. Since sociocultural values laden to happiness established various linkages with objects, happiness seemed to become materialised and accessible, which is expressed, for example, as the UN’s World Happiness Report. Simultaneously, the usage of happiness by the UN, connecting countries (objects) and happiness, is detached from happiness as an affect. If every human being’s goal is to be happy (Ahmed, 2007, p 7), it is time to pay attention to our relationships with happiness. From an ethnological perspective, I investigate where and how happiness resides in performing everyday behaviours. I aim to explore how happiness, an affect, is experienced and expressed, through “doings and sayings” (Scheer, 2012, p 209) as practices in everyday life, by conducting ethnographic, individual interviews with my friends and acquaintances in Lund, a town in Sweden. In the analysis, I go through the knowledge of happiness cultivated in society, i.e. habitus of Sweden, how the informants actually express happiness in everyday life, and how the informants physically perceive happiness. I sort and analyse the collected materials by the theories and concepts of emotional practices by Monique Scheer (2012) which is built upon the practice theory by Pierre Bourdieu, happy objects by Sara Ahmed (2010) and Spinoza by Nils Gilje (2016). By investigating people’s “doings and sayings”, I seek linkages between ‘happiness’ disengaged by society and ‘happiness’ as an affect of individuals. Ultimately, I intend to reconnect them, and find where and how happiness resides in everyday life. (Less)
Abstract (Japanese)
happiness(幸福・幸福感)は、affect(感情)のひとつです。affects(感情)とは、私たちの 主観的な経験であると考えられています。これまで人間は、happiness(幸福・幸福感)に対 し、内面的経験だけではなく外的社会と結びつけ、複雑な関連性を築いてきました。社会や 文化において、happiness(幸福・幸福感)に様々な物質的価値が結びつけられたため、 happiness(幸福・幸福感)は具体化され、分かり易いように感じられます。国連による国別 の幸福度を順位化した「世界幸福度報告」(World Happiness Report)などがその例です。国 をhappiness(幸福・幸福感)に関連付けた国連の用途は、affect(感情)としての happiness(幸福・幸福感)から更に分離されたものになります。全人類の目的が幸福になる ことであるならば (Ahmed, 2007, p 7)、この人間とhappiness(幸福・幸福感)の曖昧な関係 に、注意を払う時が来たようです。この論文は、文化人類学(欧州系文化学・民俗学)の観 点から、happiness(幸福・幸福感)が日常生活の「どこ」に「どのよう」に存在するのかを 調査します。南スウェーデンのルンドという街にいる友人や知人への個人インタビューを通 じ、日常生活における「言動 (doings and sayings)」 (Scheer, 2012, p 209) の中で、affect(感 情)としてのhappiness(幸福・幸福感)がどのように経験され、表現されているかを探究し ます。分析においては、まず、スウェーデンの社会的・文化的価値観 (ハビトゥス、habitus)... (More)
happiness(幸福・幸福感)は、affect(感情)のひとつです。affects(感情)とは、私たちの 主観的な経験であると考えられています。これまで人間は、happiness(幸福・幸福感)に対 し、内面的経験だけではなく外的社会と結びつけ、複雑な関連性を築いてきました。社会や 文化において、happiness(幸福・幸福感)に様々な物質的価値が結びつけられたため、 happiness(幸福・幸福感)は具体化され、分かり易いように感じられます。国連による国別 の幸福度を順位化した「世界幸福度報告」(World Happiness Report)などがその例です。国 をhappiness(幸福・幸福感)に関連付けた国連の用途は、affect(感情)としての happiness(幸福・幸福感)から更に分離されたものになります。全人類の目的が幸福になる ことであるならば (Ahmed, 2007, p 7)、この人間とhappiness(幸福・幸福感)の曖昧な関係 に、注意を払う時が来たようです。この論文は、文化人類学(欧州系文化学・民俗学)の観 点から、happiness(幸福・幸福感)が日常生活の「どこ」に「どのよう」に存在するのかを 調査します。南スウェーデンのルンドという街にいる友人や知人への個人インタビューを通 じ、日常生活における「言動 (doings and sayings)」 (Scheer, 2012, p 209) の中で、affect(感 情)としてのhappiness(幸福・幸福感)がどのように経験され、表現されているかを探究し ます。分析においては、まず、スウェーデンの社会的・文化的価値観 (ハビトゥス、habitus) における社会で培われたhappiness(幸福・幸福感)の知識を確認し、次に、実際に人々がど のようにhappiness(幸福・幸福感)を表現し、体感しているかを考察します。調査資料の分 類・分析には、ピエール・ブルデューの実践理論を元に発展させたモニーク・シーアーの感 情的実践(2012)、サラ・アフメッドのハッピー・オブジェクト(2010)、ニルス・ギリエ のスピノザ(2016)等の理論と概念を採用します。人々の日常生活における「言動 (doings and sayings)」を調査することで、社会の外面的なhappiness(幸福・幸福感)と個人の affect(感情)としてのhappiness(幸福・幸福感)の関連性を浮き彫りにします。また、関連 性を見直すことにより、結果的に、日常生活の「どこ」に「どのよう」にhappiness(幸福・ 幸福感)が存在するのかを認識します。 (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ichiba, Kazumi LU
supervisor
organization
course
TKAM02 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
happiness, feel good, affect, emotional practice, cultural analysis
language
English
id
9028245
date added to LUP
2020-09-08 10:56:34
date last changed
2020-09-08 10:56:34
@misc{9028245,
  abstract     = {{Happiness is an affect. Affects are thought to be part of our subjective experiences. In the past, human beings have constructed complex relationships with happiness outside of ourselves. Since sociocultural values laden to happiness established various linkages with objects, happiness seemed to become materialised and accessible, which is expressed, for example, as the UN’s World Happiness Report. Simultaneously, the usage of happiness by the UN, connecting countries (objects) and happiness, is detached from happiness as an affect. If every human being’s goal is to be happy (Ahmed, 2007, p 7), it is time to pay attention to our relationships with happiness. From an ethnological perspective, I investigate where and how happiness resides in performing everyday behaviours. I aim to explore how happiness, an affect, is experienced and expressed, through “doings and sayings” (Scheer, 2012, p 209) as practices in everyday life, by conducting ethnographic, individual interviews with my friends and acquaintances in Lund, a town in Sweden. In the analysis, I go through the knowledge of happiness cultivated in society, i.e. habitus of Sweden, how the informants actually express happiness in everyday life, and how the informants physically perceive happiness. I sort and analyse the collected materials by the theories and concepts of emotional practices by Monique Scheer (2012) which is built upon the practice theory by Pierre Bourdieu, happy objects by Sara Ahmed (2010) and Spinoza by Nils Gilje (2016). By investigating people’s “doings and sayings”, I seek linkages between ‘happiness’ disengaged by society and ‘happiness’ as an affect of individuals. Ultimately, I intend to reconnect them, and find where and how happiness resides in everyday life.}},
  author       = {{Ichiba, Kazumi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Where is happiness? A cultural analysis of the emotional practices}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}