Rapid and far-reaching social transformation in Western society over the last few decades has prompted considerable interest in the life course. This accessible and informative text provides a substantive overview to the topic, combining contemporary and more traditional perspectives. Tracing the different stages of the life course through infancy and youth to old age and dying, the book considers what is distinct about a sociological approach to the life course and explores recent debates and changing theoretical perspectives in the context of biological, psychological and social influences.

Table of Contents

Theoretical Accounts of the Life Course; Social Differentiation and Determinants of the Life Course; Reproduction, Infancy and Parenting; Childhood: Issues and Perspectives; Contemporary Youth; Relationships, Sexualities, and the Family; Work, Leisure, and Consumption; The Challenge of Mid-Life; Ageing, Old Age and Death

Author Biography

Stephen J. Hunt is Senior Lecturer/Researcher in Sociology at the University of the West of England, UK. He is a referee for the British Journal of Sociology, the Journal of Contemporary Religion and Humour. He is also on the editorial board for Pentecostudies. His publications include Religion in Western Society, Alternative Religion, and Anyone for Alpha?