Synopsis Over the past thirty years, the sociological study of ageing has progressed from being a narrowly focused and modestly sized, problem-oriented sub-field of disciplinary inquiry to its current status as a distinct, extremely wide-ranging endeavour that deals with many aspects of older people's economics, social and cultural lives. This volume brings together a broad range of theoretical essays and specific case studies by some of the eminent scholars in the field. It can be a useful resource for not only sociology students and professional sociologists, but also for those based in social anthropology, psychology, geography, population studies, political studies and cultural studies.