Karl mannheims "problem der generationen" - 80 jahre danach forum

Abstract

Since the publication of Mannheim's two part article on "The Problem of Generations" in 1928 and 1929 social change has made it necessary to elaborate on his concept of generations. Cohort generations and typological generations have to distinguished, because since 1957 stereotypes of generations have been institutionalized in society at large. Also, a distinction between general, partial and specific generations has to be made. In contemporary sociological research on generations many methods from epidemiological research can be applied, in particular probability models. Data warehouses contribute to the opportunities for generational research. The demarcation of the formative period in the life course has to be based not only on sociological but also on psychological and biological criteria. Research on religion and on the family can benefit from advantages provided by research on generations.