Abstract

‘Ageing, Corporeality and Embodiment’ outlines and develops an argument about the emergence of a ‘new ageing’ during the second half of the twentieth century and its realisation through the processes of ‘embodiment’. The authors argue that ageing as a unitary social process and agedness as a distinct social location have lost much of their purchase on the social imagination. Instead, this work asserts that later life has become as much a field for ‘not becoming old’ as of ‘old age’. The volume locates the origins of this transformation in the cultural ferment of the 1960s, when new forms of embodiment concerned with identity and the care of the self arose as mass phenomena. Over time, these new forms of embodiment have been extended, changing the traditional relationship between body, age and society by making struggles over the care of the self central to the cultures of later life. 

Chris Gilleard is a visiting research fellow at University College London.

Paul Higgs is professor of the sociology of ageing at University College London. 

‘Gilleard and Higgs break from the prevailing literature on the physicality of ageing and engage the reader in novel perspectives on the social aspects of the ageing body. This is an extraordinarily carefully written – and at times eloquent – narrative that is refreshingly original in its contribution.’ —Scott A. Bass, Provost and Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University

‘Gilleard and Higgs bring their own brand of scholarship and critical reflexions to bear on Third Age corporeality and embodiment. This book confirms that sociology should take old age and ageing seriously, not treat it simply as the back end of the sociology of the body.’ —Emmanuelle Tulle, Reader in Sociology, Glasgow Caledonian University

‘The lively writing, exciting critical theories and wide-ranging explorations into fashion, fitness and consumerism in this work by Gilleard and Higgs transforms the cultural field of the “new ageing” into a new form of sociological inquiry. Finally we have a book that exposes how our deep ambivalence about growing older shapes generation, identity, lifestyle, corporeality and embodiment.’ —Stephen Katz, Professor of Sociology, Trent University

‘The stubborn, insistent fact of bodily ageing requires that we bring age into the sociology of the body and, likewise, bring the body into ageing studies. Arguing for this mutual enrichment, Gilleard and Higgs review historical and theoretical developments on both sides and analyse key practices of the “new ageing”’. —David J. Ekerdt, Professor of Sociology and Director, Gerontology Center, University of Kansas

‘Ageing, Corporeality and Embodiment’ argues that both ageing as a unitary social process and agedness as a distinct social location have become fragmented. The book concentrates  on the emergence of a ‘new ageing’ mediated in part through the processes of ‘embodiment’.

The first section provides the main theoretical context for the book, with the first chapter outlining the new ‘sociology of the body’ and the second outlining the emergence of new ageing and its ‘re-orientation’ toward the body. The second section explores the relationship between new ageing and key aspects of embodied identity, namely gender, race, disability and sexuality. In each of these sections, the authors provide a brief historical perspective on the emergence of these embodied identities as social movements during the cultural ferment of the 1960s, and explore their subsequent confrontation, or avoidance of confrontation with, the issue of ageing.

The third section covers embodied practices, from sexual practice and its re-orientation toward age and ageing, to the embodied practices of ‘appearance management’, particularly those associated with cosmetics, clothing and fashion. Finally, the book considers ‘new enhancement technologies’ of the body, such as plastic surgery, with relation to ideas of ‘rejuvenation’. By focusing upon those embodied practices that are oriented toward age and ageing, and their place in expressing, maintaining or recreating other ‘pre-performed’ identities, the work allows a more embodied understanding of ageing and its diverse engagements within society to be realised.

‘Gilleard and Higgs challenge conventional thinking about aging bodies in exciting ways, especially the dated notion that aging is a time of “structured dependency,” or the fading belief that the “third age” is one where agency and effort are paramount to success. The authors expertly weave together theoretical writings, empirical research, and cultural analysis in the rapidly emerging field of the sociology of the body with classic and contemporary writings in gerontology. […] Highly recommended.’ —D. S. Carr, ‘Choice’

‘Chris Gilleard and Paul Higgs are two of our foremost theorists of age. Their work has helped transform how we understand later life. In this fascinating and insightful book, they address the key issue in ageing: embodiment, its meaning and significance. The text is set to become a classic.’ —Julia Twigg, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology, University of Kent

‘Gilleard and Higgs canvass a breathtaking range of work on embodiment and ageing, reviewing diverse theoretical trajectories and research contexts, and suggesting compelling questions that await investigation. This insightful book is agenda-setting, and will be an indispensable resource for both cultural gerontology and the sociology of the body.’ —Barbara L. Marshall, Professor of Sociology, Trent University