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Book Chapter

Tre generazioni teoriche di Gerontologia Sociale: un excursus internazionale

  • Guido Giarelli

After introducing the emergence of Social Gerontology as an interdisciplinary field of study within the broader scope of Gerontology, the main theories that define the pluralistic perspective and contributions of Social Gerontology to the issue of ageing – primarily in the Anglo-Saxon context – are presented. The multidimensionality and multi-level micro-macro interactions that characterize this field have been addressed over time through a variety of approaches rooted in different epistemologies. Historically, it is therefore possible to identify three distinct theoretical generations, which are here examined by analyzing their origins, the conceptual frameworks they adopt, and the specific issues related to ageing that each has sought to explain. The discussion includes illustrative case studies and an assessment of the heuristic value and limitations of each perspective. In conclusion, it is hoped that the Italian field of ageing studies will be able to draw on this rich theoretical heritage to develop its own empirically grounded contribution, applicable across the broad range of domains involved in addressing the challenges of ageing.

  • Keywords:
  • Ageing,
  • Life Course,
  • Social Gerontology,
  • Theoretical Generations,
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Guido Giarelli

University of Catanzaro Magna Grecia, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-8649-8828

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  • Publication Year: 2025
  • Pages: 55-68
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2025
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Tre generazioni teoriche di Gerontologia Sociale: un excursus internazionale

Authors

Guido Giarelli

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0744-7.07

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Accompagnare la longevità

Book Subtitle

Buone pratiche educative e formative per l’invecchiamento attivo

Editors

Vanna Boffo, Michele Bertani, Donatella Bramanti, Rabih Chattat, Laura Formenti

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

628

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0744-7

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0743-0

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0744-7

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0745-4

Series Title

Studies on Adult Learning and Education

Series ISSN

2704-596X

Series E-ISSN

2704-5781

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