TY - BOOK ID - 655934 TI - Rethinking old age : theorising the fourth age AU - Higgs, Paul AU - Gilleard, Chris PY - 2015 SN - 9781137383983 9781137383990 1137383992 PB - London Palgrave DB - UniCat KW - Age group sociology KW - Older people KW - Aging KW - Gerontology. KW - Social conditions KW - Social aspects KW - Psychological aspects. KW - Older people - Social conditions KW - Aging - Social aspects KW - Aging - Psychological aspects. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:655934 AB - With the aspiration for a long life now achievable for many individuals, the status of old age as a distinct social position has become problematic. In this radical re-examination of the nature of old age, Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard reveal the emergence of a 'fourth age' that embodies the most feared and marginalised aspects of old age, conceptually linked to and yet distinct from traditional models of old age. Inspired by the authors' ground-breaking work on the third and fourth age and supported by extensive sociological, medical and historical research, Rethinking Old Age offers a unique and timely analysis of the fourth age as a 'social imaginary' that is shaped and maintained by the social, cultural and political discourses and practices that divide later life. It stands as a significant resource for students, academics and practitioners of Sociology, Ageing Studies, Gerontology, Social Policy, Health Studies, Social Work and Nursing. ER -