David I. Kertzer, K. Warner Schaie

"Taken as a whole, this volume is an excellent example of the value of the cross-fertilization of ideas from several disciplines....the inclusion of critical discussion of the major essays is thought-provoking. Most important, the essays move forward the analysis of issues related to the age structure of society."—Contemporary Sociology"For serious students of age stratification and age structuring of both society and the life course, the book will inevitably and quickly become dog-eared through use!"—Matilda White RileyFrom the Foreword

• Contents: M.W. Riley, Foreword. Part I:Introduction.D.I. Kertzer, Comparative and Historical Perspectives on Age Structuring. Part II:Age and Power.W.H. Sangree, Age and Power: Life Course Trajectories and Age Structuring Power Relations in East and West Africa. J. Keith, Cultural Commentary and the Culture of Gerontology. D.L. Featherman, L.K. Selbee, K.U. Mayer, Social Class and the Structuring of the Life Course in Norway and West Germany. D.P. Hogan, Institutional Perspectives on the Life Course: Challenges and Strategies. Part III:Ideological Aspects of Age Structuring.C. Ikels, Becoming a Human Being in Theory and Practice: Chinese Views of Human Development. C. Usui, The Ideology of Individualism Versus the Ideology of Corporate Groupism: Japanese Conceptions of Human Relations. F.O. Ramirez, Reconstituting Children: Extension of Personhood and Citizenship. C. Schooler, Levels and Proof in Cross-Disciplinary Research. Part IV:Comparative Perspectives on Retirement.A. Plakans, Stepping Down in Former Times: A Comparative Assessment of "Retirement" in Traditional Europe. A.B. Sorensen, Old Age, Retirement, and Inheritance. M.A. Vinovskis, Stepping Down in Former Times: The View from Colonial and Nineteenth-Century America. A. Inkeles, C. Usui, Retirement Patterns in Cross-National Perspective. K.U. Mayer, G. Wagner, D.L. Featherman, Methodological Problems in Doing Cross-National Research on Retirement.