Generations and Globalization: Shifting Family Relations in a Postindustrial Society

This presentation provides a cultural sociology of changing intergenerational relations in the face of globalization, focusing on a historicized account of  shifting family relations that have dramatically altered the landscape for elderly people in Japan today. The demographic and economic transformations that have impacted expectations of social welfare and the ground rules of social obligations will also be examined as part of a broader trend in postindustrial societies. Drawing on her work on comparative aging, Hashimoto will discuss how these shifts have influenced the cultural ideals of aging in the global era.