'Ageing, Corporeality and Embodiment' outlines and develops an argument about the emergence of a 'new ageing' during the second half of the twentieth century and its realisation through the processes of 'embodiment'. The authors argue that ageing as a unitary social process and agedness as a distinct social location have lost much of their purchase on the social imagination. Instead, this work asserts that later life has become as much a field for 'not becoming old' as of 'old age'. The volume locates the origins of this transformation in the cultural ferment of the 1960s, when new forms of embodiment concerned with identity and the care of the self arose as mass phenomena. Over time, these new forms of embodiment have been extended, changing the traditional relationship between body, age and society by making struggles over the care of the self central to the cultures of later life.

Investigates the emergence of a 'new ageing' and its realisation through the body by exploring new forms of embodiment concerned with identity and care of the self, which have seen the body become a site for ageing differently - for ageing without growing old.

About the Author

Chris Gilleard is a visiting research fellow at University College London.

Paul Higgs is professor of the sociology of ageing at University College London.

Reviews

'Gilleard and Higgs challenge conventional thinking about aging bodies in exciting ways, especially the dated notion that aging is a time of "structured dependency," or the fading belief that the "third age" is one where agency and effort are paramount to success. The authors expertly weave together theoretical writings, empirical research, and cultural analysis in the rapidly emerging field of the sociology of the body with classic and contemporary writings in gerontology. [...] Highly recommended.' -D. S. Carr, 'Choice'

Book Information
ISBN 9781783083374
Author Chris Gilleard
Format Paperback
Page Count 228
Imprint Anthem Press
Publisher Anthem Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 153mm * 26mm