Ageing, Meaning and Social Structure: Connecting Critical and Humanistic Gerontology

Description

Ageing, meaning and social structure is a unique book advancing critical discourse in gerontology and makes a major contribution to understanding key social and ethical dilemmas facing ageing societies. It confronts and integrates approaches that have been relatively isolated from each other, and interrelates two major streams of thought within critical gerontology: analyses of structural issues in the context of political economy and humanistic perspectives on issues of existential meaning. The chapters, from a wide range of contributors, focus on major issues in ageing such as autonomy, agency, frailty, lifestyle, social isolation, dementia and professional challenges in social work and participatory research. This volume should be valuable reading for scholars and graduate students in gerontology and humanistic studies, as well as for policy makers and practitioners working in the field of ageing.

Jan Baars is professor of gerontology at the University of Humanistic Studies, where Joseph Dohmen is professor of philosophical and practical ethics. Amanda Grenier is the Gilbrea Chair in Ageing and Mental Health and associate professor in health, ageing, and society at McMaster University, Canada. Chris Phillipson is professor of applied sciences and social gerontology at Keele University.

"A much-needed integration of two relatively new but flourishing areas of ageing studies, which have developed separately up to now. I gained fresh insights from each and every chapter." ---Peter G. Coleman, Professor of Psychogerontology, University of Southampton.