the good life in late-socialist Asia

Contributors to this special issue examine the notion of “the good life” and its influence on late socialist social life through the perspectives of communities living amid political economic transformation across China, Laos, and Vietnam. The essays feature ethnographic analyses of diverse social domains—from pop culture, religion, and consumption to environmental discourses and philanthropic activities—to reveal how the contradictions of late socialism limit the possibilities of living well together and the moral agency of people negotiating seemingly incommensurable value frameworks and social orders.

Contributors: Charlotte Bruckermann, Sypha Chanthavong, Elizabeth Elliott, Kirsten Endres, Jiazhi Fengjiang, Arve Hansen, Michael Kleinod, Sandra Kurfürst, Jake Lin, Minh T. N. Nguyen, Phill Wilcox, Roberta Zavoretti, Fan Zhang, Li Zhang