Politics, Power and Old Age (Rethinking Ageing Series)

This volume introduces ideas, dilemmas and controversies about the way that lives of elderly people are shaped by patterns of power. It is about politics in the broadest sense and about old age as a contested part of contemporary social life. The author applies ideas about power and ageism in specific areas such as lifestyles, personal identity, appearance, and intergenerational conflicts as well as pensioners' movements, party politics and elections. He includes original research on the social construction and negotiation of identity in old age, and brings together material from a range of British, American and European studies of relevance to the theme of politics and old age. Throughout, he explores global and historical trends in ageing but relates these to personal dilemmas and interpersonal relationships. The book is interdisciplinary, and its challenging ideas will appeal to a broad range of students, academics and professionals with a common interest in ageing and the care and well-being of the elderly.