The Symbolism of Globalization, Development, and Aging - Hardcover

by Steven L. Arxer (Editor), John W. Murphy (Editor)

This book looks at the symbolic side of globalization, development, and aging. Many of the dimensions that are discussed represent updates of past debates but some are entirely new. In particular, globalization is accompanied by subtle social imagery that profoundly shapes the way institutions and identities are imagined. The process of aging and persons sense of identity is no exception. The underlying assumptions that pervade globalization inform how critical dimensions of aging are discussed and institutionalized. The application of marketplace imagery, for example, may impact attempts for holism in how aging is studied and the prospects for human agency during the aging process. This book offers a special look into how temporality, technology, normativity, and empiricism structure the symbolic side of globalization and influence dominant images of the aging process. Current debates about globalization and aging are expanded by helping readers see the social imagery that is both subtly behind globalization and at the forefront of shaping the aging experience.

Back Jacket

As globalization transforms our daily lives, it is also shaping our lives--and our identities--in the long term. For many older people, this includes becoming alienated from themselves and pessimistic about a future that expects them to decline and decay like products with a shelf-life.

The Symbolism of Globalization, Development, and Aging sets out a provocative case for more socially conscious approaches to aging. Rather than merely critiquing the emerging youth-oriented global culture, the book reveals and refutes the assumptions that fuel global market ideals and stereotype the experience of aging to a specific set of developments. Its contributors argue that the social imagery of globalization normalizes longstanding inequities, particularly between generations, and marginalizes those who don't conform to its narrow confines. Running throughout these chapters is the strong assertion that reality is diverse, and that understanding the power of global forces will promote alternative contexts for more authentic aging. Thus the challenge is to professionals working with elders to look beyond the biomedical model that characterizes much of their fields. Featured topics include:

• Body image symbolism and global concepts of aging.
• The life-course perspective: defeating its purpose?
• The human body and the corporate template of identity.
• Technology: the dark side of the new and now.
• Globalization ethics and the domination of youthfulness.
• Reconceptualizing aging: toward a post-market future.

The Symbolism of Globalization, Development, and Aging is a breakthrough volume across disciplines which will inspire a higher level of thinking, discussion, and improvement in policy and practice among gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, and public health policymakers.

Author Biography

John W. Murphy is professor of sociology at the University of Miami. He received his doctoral degree in 1981 from Ohio State University. His research interests are sociological theory, social philosophy, and globalization. He has published books related to the community mental health movement, the computerization of social service agencies, and contemporary social theory.

Steven L. Arxer is assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Texas at Dallas. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Florida. He has published papers in the journals of Humanity & Society and Qualitative Sociology Review and has contributed to several edited volumes. His research interests are globalization, NGOs, and gender mainstreaming.