The study of ageing is a fundamental issue for social science. Age is seen much less as a "natural" developmental phase of life and more as a socio-cultural construct. This opens opportunities to new ways to see ageing as a social process and factor in power relations, and for examining in theory and in empirical research, the intersections of age with class, race, gender and sexuality. In four volumes this MW examines: Volume 1: Origins, Theories and Practical Concerns (Classic approaches and contemporary thinkers); Volume 2: Forms and Practice (ageing in pre-industrial societies; ageing historically; aging and identity); Volume 3: Key Dimensions (ageing and life course; ageing and work/leisure; ageing and gender; ageing and health; ageing and sexuality; ageing and family; ageing and culture/ethnicity) and Volume 4: Key Debates (theory versus practice; ageing bodies; critical gerontology