New research underway

How do rural Mexicans imagine wellbeing and ‘the good life’? How do such imaginings relate to ideas of a good life circulating in state programs? In 2024, I will be returning to Calakmul in Mexico to carry out six months of field study to ask these questions in light of climate change, pressures to migrate, and state expenditures that seek to foster wellbeing (bienestar). The aim? To reveal localized, cultural constructions of a life well-lived that help us all make sense of how people are navigating a fast-paced, changing world. Carried out in association with host institution, ECOSUR, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, this research is part of a larger project that will consider how young adults in Calakmul remain in rural areas and build their preferred life course. Thank you to the Fulbright- García Robles program for their support of the project! Fulbright- García Robles is a joint collaboration of the United States and Mexico supporting education on both sides of the border.