Ellie Lee – författare

Women's needs are placed at the centre of this collection. The contributors discuss the extent to which the contemporary legal framework on abortion matches the needs of women faced with unwanted pregnancy. The book contains sections on Britain, including an account of the campaign to legalize abortion, written by those centrally involved with that campaign; international comparisons of abortion law, with chapters on France, the United States, Ireland and Poland; and chapters covering contemporary debates, including men's rights in abortion and abortion for foetal abnormality.

This introductory text sets out to make the links between sociological theories of the body and actual human behaviour and experience. It covers a broad range of topics, from long-standing sociological concerns to more contemporary issues. With a focus on the changeability of the body, it examines the part that bodies play in the social construction of categories such as race, sexuality and disability and explores how we express ourselves through our bodies, whether in eating, dress or pain. It also debates how the body is regulated, both through the life course and in reproduction.

Why have the minutiae of how parents raise their children become routine sources of public debate and policy making? This book provides in-depth answers to these features drawing on a wide range of sources from sociology, history, anthropology and psychology, covering developments in both Europe and North America.

The book contains sections on Britain, including an account of the campaign to legalize abortion, written by those centrally involved with that campaign; and chapters covering contemporary debates, including men's rights in abortion and abortion for foetal abnormality.

Today, many criticisms of young people in the West excoriate a self-obsessed, 'snowflake' generation and the indulgent parents and teachers who enable them, cowed by fears of offending, upsetting, or alienating the kids. But, as sociologists Jennie Bristow and Ellie Lee show, the real roots of the problem lie elsewhere. Pressure to positively affirm young people's views of themselves does not come from the organic relationships between adults and children, formed in families, schools, and communities, but from wider political and cultural dynamics that corrode these relationships. This has consequences both for adult authority, and for young people's ability to develop a rounded, grounded sense of themselves.Strong ties between the generations are essential for inducting young people into society. Today, the cultural obsession with identity incites teenagers and emerging adults to short-circuit the dynamic process of growing up by adopting fashionable badges of self-presentation. But these identity badges stymie young people's access to the intimate, intergenerational relationships that have historically provided the basis for development of maturity. And this process is fuelled by the defensiveness of older generations, who find themselves on 'the wrong side of history'. The result is estrangement between generations and growth in young people's sense of isolation and insecurity.How can we restore generational health to our societies? In this sensitive, optimistic and ambitiously broad intervention, Bristow and Lee advocate laying the conditions for ongoing conversations with the young that absorbs the necessary friction within relationships of love, commitment, and care. But to do so with confidence requires a cultural narrative that supports adults' ability to say no to our children, with a smile.

Today, many criticisms of young people in the West excoriate a self-obsessed, 'snowflake' generation and the indulgent parents and teachers who enable them, cowed by fears of offending, upsetting, or alienating the kids. But, as sociologists Jennie Bristow and Ellie Lee show, the real roots of the problem lie elsewhere. Pressure to positively affirm young people's views of themselves does not come from the organic relationships between adults and children, formed in families, schools, and communities, but from wider political and cultural dynamics that corrode these relationships. This has consequences both for adult authority, and for young people's ability to develop a rounded, grounded sense of themselves.Strong ties between the generations are essential for inducting young people into society. Today, the cultural obsession with identity incites teenagers and emerging adults to short-circuit the dynamic process of growing up by adopting fashionable badges of self-presentation. But these identity badges stymie young people's access to the intimate, intergenerational relationships that have historically provided the basis for development of maturity. And this process is fuelled by the defensiveness of older generations, who find themselves on 'the wrong side of history'. The result is estrangement between generations and growth in young people's sense of isolation and insecurity.How can we restore generational health to our societies? In this sensitive, optimistic and ambitiously broad intervention, Bristow and Lee advocate laying the conditions for ongoing conversations with the young that absorbs the necessary friction within relationships of love, commitment, and care. But to do so with confidence requires a cultural narrative that supports adults' ability to say no to our children, with a smile.