A guide to humanistic studies in aging
Subtitle: what does it mean to grow old?
By: edited by Thomas R. Cole, Ruth E. Ray, and Robert Kastenbaum.
Contributors: Cole, Thomas R., 1949-; Ray, Ruth E., 1954-; Kastenbaum, Robert.
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 390
ISBN-13: 9780801894336
Subjects: Aging; Humanism; Social perception; Aging; Humanism; Social Perception
Description: "This volume explores the moral, spiritual, and cultural terrain of aging through interdisciplinary scholarship and clinically based research." "Aging has long been of interest to scholars and practitioners in a vast array of academic fields and professions. Thomas R. Cole, Ruth E. Ray, and Robert Kastenbaum have brought together leaders from a variety of academic realms to explore how aging is depicted in the modern era and the effect of these portrayals on individuals and society." "The first section views aging and old age through the lenses of four disciplines: history, literature, religion, and philosophy. It probes the idea and effect of age in different places and times in history; discusses the concept as put forth in novels, memoirs, and literary studies and criticism; and raises important existential and spiritual questions about the meaning of growing old." "The chapters in the second section demonstrate how interdisciplinary humanities can be applied to the study of aging through such thoughtful queries as: How do creativity and health relate in old age? What does "old" mean in an era of high-tech medicine, and what is our moral obligation to care for elderly persons? Why are friendships of special importance to older people?" "Section three uses semiotics, cultural analysis, and ideological critiques to identify key social issues related to aging, including the concept of "home," ageism and discrimination, and our understanding of aging in the era of globalization. The text closes with Robert Kastenbaum's poignant reflection on his own considerations of meaning and mortality as he journeyed back to health following heart surgery." "This comprehensive guide works at the nexus of the humanities and the health professions to provide the intellectual rationale, the history, and a substantive overview of humanistic gerontology as it has emerged in the United States and Europe."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : the humanistic study of aging past and present, or why gerontology still needs interpretive inquiry / Thomas R. Cole and Ruth E. Ray; title: The history of aging and old age in "western" cultures / Pat Thane; title: Resilience and creativity in aging : the realms of silver / Anne M. Wyatt-Brown; title: Literary texts and literary critics team up against agism / Barbara Frey Waxman; title: Philosophy of aging, time, and finitude / Jan Baars; title: Aging in world religions : an overview / Stephen Sapp; title: The value and meaning of friendship in later life / Brian de Vries; title: Encountering the numinous : relationality, the arts, and religion in later life / Susan H. McFadden and Janet L. Ramsey; title: Creativity and aging : psychological growth, health, and well-being / Gene D. Cohen; title: The five people you meet in retirement / Ronald J. Manheimer; title: The age of reflexive longevity : how the clinic and changing expectations of the life course are reshaping old age / Sharon R. Kaufman; title: Ethics and aging, retrospectively, and prospectively / Martha B. Holstein; title: Age, meaning, and place : cultural narratives and retirement communities / Stephen Katz and Kevin McHugh; title: Old age and globalization / Rüdiger Kunow; title: Agism and social change : the new regimes of decline / Margaret M. Gullette; title: Treadmill to the far side : an informal guide to coming of age with mortality / Robert Kastenbaum.