Old Age and Radical History

Bibliographic Data

ID4054081
AuthorsAmanda Ciafone (0000-0002-1897-0334), Devin Mcgeehan Muchmore
Year2021
Volume2021
Issue139
Pages1-12
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadical History Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-6545 • E-ISSN: 1534-1453
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/01636545-8822566
OpenAlexW3123113606
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited23

This essay introduces readers to key themes in critical gerontology and age studies and asserts their centrality to contemporary history and politics. Age scholars and critical gerontologists push back against perspectives that individualize and medicalize old age as a natural or universal stage in a singular life course explained solely by biology, psychology, or personal choices. Instead, they challenge us to see contemporary life stages and even chronological age itself as historically and culturally specific structures. The contributions in this issue demonstrate the power of this approach, exploring histories of later life in the context of slave societies, retirement, social movements, and gendered embodiment. Together, contributors model a radical history of old age that centers power, historical struggle, and linked lives

Centrality · Context (archaeology · Life course approach · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Aging and Gerontology Research · Architecture, Design, and Social History · Gender Studies · History · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access