Aging and Everyday Life

Aging and Everyday Life presents a balanced and realistic view of the aging experience. The research in this book reveals that much, if not most, of the triumphs and trials experienced in later years are not unlike those confronted at other points in life. Just like younger people, the elderly experience both change and stability, shedding old roles and entering new ones. The process takes place in varied spheres of life: the worlds of home and family, work, and friendship.

This thoughtful, engaging text brings together twenty-eight essays by leading researchers in social gerontology to explore the everyday aspects of aging. Readers will come away viewing the elderly as people whose lives are as complex and diverse, and therefore as nuanced as any.

Jaber F. Gubrium is Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida. He is editor of the Journal of Aging Studies and the author or editor of twenty books, including Oldtimers and Alzheimer's (1986), Speaking of Life (1993), and Living and Dying at Murray Manor (1997).

James A. Holstein is Professor of Sociology at Marquette University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Court-Ordered Insanity (1993), Reconsidering Social Constructionism (1993), and Social Problems in Everyday Life (1997). He also is co-editor of the research annual Perspectives on Social Problems.

The editors have previously collaborated on What is Family? (1990), The Active Interview (1995), The New Language of Qualitative Method (1997), Constructing the Life Course (2000), and The Self We Live By (2000).