Thomas Hylland Eriksen
The Paradox of the Big Bad Wolf

We - the global middle class - are living in paradise, and yet we continue to complain. We live longer lives than ever before in human history, we work less and are healthier than previous generations. We can eat anything we like, listen to our favourite music whenever we like, read whatever we like. Most people have paid vacations when they are free to travel the world or just stay at home and do nothing.

Yet we are not satisfied. Studies show that life satisfaction has in fact decreased slightly since the 1950s. Abundance has not made us happy; the good life appears to be just as elusive as it was in the age of scarcity.

The ideas developed in this book are both immediately recognisable and surprising at the same time, and the underlying political agenda is bound to have consequences for the way we will live our lives in what remains of this century.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Thomas Hylland Eriksen (b 1962) is Professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo and the author of numerous books on anthropological and cultural issues, including SMALL PLACES, LARGE ISSUES and TYRANNY OF THE MOMENT, which have both enjoyed tremendous success in Norway and abroad. From 1993 to 2001 he was affiliated with the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo. His research spans ethnic relations, nation building and cultural dynamism in multicultural societies and he has written several books on such subjects. He has carried out field work in Mauritius and Trinidad.