The Sociogenesis of Later Life

This paper outlines the necessity of establishing a sociology of later life that is firmly located within contemporary social theory. While there exists considerable overlap between the sociology of ageing, ageing studies and social gerontology, what distinguishes a sociology of ageing and later life is its location within sociological theory. The present paper argues that the application of theories derived from the work of Bauman, Beck and Bourdieu can provide a solid basis for understanding the social changes that are contributing to the formation of later life as an emerging social space in the societies of the 21st century. In contrast to the position that old age occupied as a status or stratum of society. in pre- and first-modernity, the social changes of the last half century have seen a less constrained and more diverse social space reconfiguring the positions occupied by old age From the work of Bourdieu we draw upon his notions of social space and the social field as a defined and delineated arena within social space. From the work of Bauman, we draw upon his work on consumerism and its role in forming generational identities and practices in 'liquid' modernity; and from Beck, we draw upon his re-working of the social processes of modernisation and the role that the cosmopolitanisation of everyday life plays in shaping the life course. In conclusion, this paper puts forward the case for reconfiguring the sociology of ageing as a sociology of later life and illustrates some of the vectors by which these social changes are emerging.