ISBN:
9780822981367
,
082298136X
Language:
English
Pages:
Online Ressource
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als Park, Hyung Wook Old age, new science
DDC:
305.2609730904
Keywords:
Aging Social aspects
;
History
;
20th century
;
Social gerontology History
;
20th century
;
Gerontology History
;
20th century
;
Social gerontology History 20th century
;
Gerontology History 20th century
;
Aging Social aspects 20th century
;
History
;
Social gerontology History 20th century
;
Gerontology History 20th century
;
Aging Social aspects 20th century
;
History
;
MEDICAL ; Geriatrics
;
SCIENCE ; History
;
SOCIAL SCIENCE ; Discrimination & Race Relations
;
SOCIAL SCIENCE ; Minority Studies
;
Aging ; Social aspects
;
Gerontology
;
Social gerontology
;
Gerontology
;
Social Welfare & Social Work
;
Social Sciences
;
History
;
Electronic book
;
Electronic books History
Abstract:
"This book focuses on the "biosocial visions" shared by early gerontologists in American and British science and culture from the early to mid-twentieth century who believed the phenomenon of aging was not just biological, but social in nature. Advancements in the life sciences, together with shifting perspectives on the state and future of the elderly in society, informed how gerontologists interacted with seniors, and how they defined successful aging. Park shows how these visions shaped popular discourses on aging, directly influenced the institutionalization of gerontology, and also reflected the class, gender, and race biases of their founders"--
Abstract:
"Between 1870 and 1940, life expectancy in the United States skyrocketed while the percentage of senior citizens age sixty-five and older more than doubled--a phenomenon owed largely to innovations in medicine and public health. At the same time, the Great Depression was a major tipping point for age discrimination and poverty in the West: seniors were living longer and retiring earlier, but without adequate means to support themselves and their families. The economic disaster of the 1930s alerted scientists, who were actively researching the processes of aging, to the profound social implications of their work--and by the end of the 1950s, the field of gerontology emerged. Old Age, New Science explores how a group of American and British life scientists contributed to gerontology's development as a multidisciplinary field. It examines the foundational "biosocial visions" they shared, a byproduct of both their research and the social problems they encountered. Hyung Wook Park shows how these visions shaped popular discourses on aging, directly influenced the institutionalization of gerontology, and also reflected the class, gender, and race biases of their founders"--
Abstract:
Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1. Envisioning Age in Experimental and Social Contexts; Chapter 2. A Biosocial Vision and Textbooks in Starting a Multidisciplinary Science; Chapter 3. Projecting Visions and Cultivating a Science in American Society; Chapter 4. Calories, Aging, and Building a Biosocial Research Program; Chapter 5. Senescence, Science, and Society in Great Britain; Chapter 6. Growing Old and Biomedicine in the National Institutes of Health; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-327) and index. - Print version record
