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

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.

Amanda Grenier is Professor in Health Aging and Society, the Gilbrea Chair in Aging and Mental Health, and the Director of the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging at McMaster University.

Chris Phillipson is Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Manchester. He has published a number of general books in the field of ageing as well a number of papers on age-friendly issues.