Read sample
Follow the author
Akiko HashimotoAkiko Hashimoto
The Gift of Generations: Japanese and American Perspectives on Aging and the Social Contract 1st Edition
by Akiko Hashimoto (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
The Gift of Generations is a comparative study of aging and the social contract in Japan and the United States. By using original, systematically comparable data collected in these countries, the book explores the different cultural definitions of vulnerability and giving, and the ways they shape and constrain the social strategies of routinizing helping arrangements. The book succeeds in interweaving the theory and practice of the social contract by developing the concept of symbolic equity.
====
Copyrighted Material
Contents
List of Tables and Figure
page ix
Preface
xi
1
1
Acknowledgments
1 The Social Designation of Deserving Citizens
The Private Discourse: Expectations of Vulnerability
The Public Discourse: Responsibilities of Intervention
10
Values, Interests, and Symbolic Equity: A Framework
of Analysis
13
2 Two Communities, Two Societies
18
West Haven
19
Westside Odawara
22
Comparing Communities
28
3 Rights and Responsibilities in the Public Domain
34
Entitlement, Obligation, and Equity
35
Individual, Family, and State
43
4 The Practice of Protection and Intervention in the
Private Domain
49
Inside the Household
51
Outside the Household
58
Family and Network
64
The Recognition of Vulnerability
65
73
5
The Japanese Viewpoint 71
Voices from Odawara
101
The Protective Approach
vii
Copyrighted Material
Copyrighted Material
Contents
6 The American Viewpoint
103
Voices from West Haven
105
The Contingency Approach
140
7 Cultural Assumptions and Values
143
Trajectories of Need
145
151
Conditions of Security
153
Intergenerational Equity
155
Primary Bonds of Affection
157
Units of Self-Sufficiency
158
Visions of Resource Affluence
163
8 The Social Regulation of Interests
165
Credits, Debts, and Mutual Interests
168
Rights, Responsibilities, and Collective Interests
169
The Logic of Symbolic Equity
Distribution of Symbolic Resources: Empowerment
171
and Disempowerment
174
Social and Cultural Constructions of Support
182
9 Conclusion
Culture, Power, and the Social Contract
183
Reflections on Diversity and Change
186
Appendix: Methods of Research
195
200
Bibliography
Index
215
====
Editorial Reviews
Review
"In this clearly conceived and well-written book the author shows how different cultural assumptions about old age influence family and household behaviour patterns and social policy in the two richest nations....Her book makes an important contribution to our understanding of complex modern societies. It should be required reading for all those with an interest in aging and social policy." The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
"Overall, this book flows logically and is very easy to follow....It is hoped that many researchers will build upon the outcomes of this superb book." Noriko Tsukada, Social Gerontology
"The Gift of Generations is written in many voices. The organization of this book flows in and out of these voices, and helps the reader understand the context and transformations of growing old in these two rapidly changing countries. The writing is scholarly and masterful..." Dana H. Davidson, Contemporary Sociology
"Hashimoto contributes a deep and measured understanding of differences between U.S. and Japanese attitudes toward care of the elderly. Placing her study within the human dilemma of balancing egoism and altruism, Hashimoto contrasts dispositions toward deservedness, self-sufficiency, and dependency. The Gift of Generations is very valuable for its clear thinking on an issue of great relevance." American Anthropologist
"The comparison [Hashimoto] draws out is both concrete and philosophical. We not only gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between culture and policy in Japan, but also a greater appreciation of the extent to which American values influence both the expectations of citizens and the making of policy in this country..." Susan O. Long, Ph.D., The Gerontologist
"The author does an excellent job of identifying the concepts and cultural assumptions that define the contract between generations..." Emily M. Agree, American Journal of Sociology
Book Description
A comparative study of aging and the social contract in Japan and the United States.
Read more
TopAbout this itemSimilarFrom the AuthorQuestionsReviews
The Gift of Generations: Japanese and American Perspectives on Aging and the Social ContractProduct details
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Publication date : June 13, 1996
No comments:
Post a Comment