Covering an increasingly important topic in sociology, this book is a thorough and lively introduction to the role and importance of age in contemporary British society. The first two chapters introduce the reader to thinking about age from a sociological perspective. Asking the question `What is age?' and then guiding the reader through the main theoretical approaches to its sociological study. The core of the book represents the latest information on each of the major age divisions in Britain: childhood; youth; adulthood; later life and old age. The book compares the role of age in Britain today with different cultures and periods in history, as well as assessing the importance and influence of biology, biography, gender, ethnicity, and class. A special feature of the book is the way it pays close attention to the increasingly important notion of `generation' in explaining British social structure and behaviour. It looks at the way belonging to different `generations' creates identities and shapes relationships within families and across society. The book will be an invaluable introduction and point of reference for students of sociology, human geography, and social policy, as well as professionals and trainees in the caring professions. The Oxford Modern Britain series comprises authoritative introductory books on all aspects of the social structure of modern Britain. Lively and accessible, the books will be the first point of reference fo They will be invaluable to those taking courses in the Social Sciences. Series Editor: Professor John Scott, Department of Sociology, University of Essex
Reviews
`Excellent for a number of my courses.' Alan Robertshaw, University of Lancaster
`Accessible text. Clear, concise and interesting presentation.' Mr Emptage, University of Humberside
`Excellent price, good introductory material.' S. Conway, University of Humberside
`A useful introductory text which is up to date and covers a lot of ground succinctly.' Richard Pugh, North East Wales Institute
`Fills a gap in literature.' J.F. Bennett, Kingston University
A systematic and immediately accessible account of this `new frontier' of sociological analysis ... a valuable introduction to this neglected but increasingly significant area of sociological inquiry. * NEWI *
Jane Pilcher's book fills an important gap in the sociological literature by providing an overview on the role and the importance of age in contemporary British society ... Written in a clear and accessible style, the book is an excellent introduction to the sociology of age and generation. * Ageing and Society *
After giving a concise account of the relevant sociological theories, the author chooses the life-course approach to discuss life stages from childhood to old age ... The style is accessible and lively. Many sources are used and there are suggestions for further reading for each chapter. * Age and Ageing *
The aim of this book is laudable; it seeks to present age as an important factor in the stratification of society, in a format suitable for the newcomer and the general reader ... an important contribution to setting an age-oriented agenda at under-graduate level ... this is a good introductory text which doesn't assume a high level of knowledge and is written in an accessible manner. Its clarity and organisation makes it suitable as a first-year undergraduate text or as an introduction to more specialised courses on such topics as ageing or the lifecourse ... this text pulls together a vast array of material which can be used to help undergraduates engage with issues which, until recently, have been "invisible" within academic debate, such as age and stratification, power and inter-generational and inter-cohort relationships. As such, it makes a clear contribution to the integration of the topic of ageing into the undergraduate curriculum. * Work, Employment and Society *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198279624
Author Jane Pilcher
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 202mm * 134mm * 12mm