Reframing Aging

Melissa K. Melby is a medical anthropologist and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Delaware, USA. She has been conducting research on biocultural understandings of, and approaches to, aging and menopause for over 25 years, with a particular focus on Japan.

“Melby’s book is an engaging demonstration of what holistic anthropology can do. Melby uses multiple complementary levels of analysis, integrating theoretical perspectives from biomedicine, biocultural anthropology, evolutionary biology, and public health, to prompt the reader to look at menopause and aging in a new light.”- Karen Rosenberg, Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, USA“Many scholars write about interdisciplinary science, but Melby’s accessible book walks the walk! She skillfully weaves insights from her participant-observer research with theory to fully articulate her comprehensive Proximate-Ultimate Biocultural framework. A must-read for all those interested in human development, culture, and their intersections.”- Julie Hicks Patrick, Professor of Life-Span Developmental Psychology at West Virginia University, USA

• 1. Introduction PART I: PROXIMATE BIOLOGY 2. Proximate Biology: Introduction 3. Proximate Biology of Aging 4. Proximate Biology of Menopause PART II: PROXIMATE CULTURAL 5. Proximate Culture: Introduction 6. Proximate Culture of Aging 7. Proximate Culture of Menopause PART III: ULTIMATE BIOLOGICAL 8. Ultimate Biology: Introduction 9. Ultimate Biology of Aging 10. Ultimate Biology of Menopause PART IV: ULTIMATE CULTURAL 11. Ultimate Culture: Introduction 12. Ultimate Culture of Aging 13. Ultimate Culture of Menopause 14. Questions & Future Explorations