Devolution and the restructuring of major health and social policies; caregiving and welfare reform; disability theory and public policy; "productive aging" and "senior power"; and the situation faced by minority elders "caught in the hostile cross-fire" of our rapidly changing social policies are among the topic areas explored. Crosscutting themes including the interdependence of generations and the importance of viewing aging in structural, rather than merely individual terms provide important unifying threads that demonstrate the interrelationships between the many topic areas examined. Both national and cross national perspectives are brought to bear in this insightful volume.
An important new text for graduate courses in gerontology, sociology, public policy, public health and social welfare, Critical Gerontology should also prove an indispensable resource for scholars, policy makers, and professionals in many fields who are concerned with the complexities of societal aging at the dawn of the 21st century.