The actuality of the concept of generations of research on aging

Abstract

Whereas defining generation has been in the minds of sociologists since the early moments of the discipline, its use has always been theoretically unstable because of its multiple meanings. Even when elevated to a higher theoretical level with Mannheim, it suffered the initial reluctance of certain academic circles in accepting that author's theoretical contributions. Today, generation remains polysemic. And the scarce attention paid to (or perhaps the lack of perception of) generational social positions and to the dynamic of relations between generations is such that it has generated certain analytical shortcomings ? as in the case of violence against the aged here treated in which an analysis from the perspective of solidarity and conflict between generations is crucial.