Anthropology and the Riddle of the Sphinx

Originally published in 1990, Anthropology and the Riddle of the Sphinx: Paradoxes of Change in the Life Course, seeks to relate the problems of maturation and ageing to the life course as a whole. As it is treated here, the riddle posed by the sphinx asks 'What is it that changes as we age?' and is concerned with the enigmas of this total process. Ultimately, the ways in which we experience these problems stem from our view of ageing and the contradictions of society itself. The essays in this volume consider aspects of this problem with reference to a variety of cultures. The young, the mature, and the elderly have distinctive identities, but they form a continuum whose profile is culturally constructed. Anthropology and the Riddle of the Sphinx: Paradoxes of Change in the Life Course is intended as a contribution to the growing literature on ageing, deliberately broadening the topic in the search for a wider understanding. This volume aims to stimulate interest in neglected aspects of the ageing process within social anthropology and to present an anthropological point of view to others who have an interest in problems associated with the life course. It will be of particular value to the students of social anthropology and medical sociology. It was originally published as part of the ASA Monographs series: https://www.routledge.com/ASA-Monographs/book-series/SE0127

Paul Spencer was reader in African Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London at the time of original publication. He has written on aspects of maturation and ageing with reference to East African pastoral societies where age provides a major dimension of social organisation.

List of Contributors. Preface. 1. The Riddled Course: Theories of Age and its Transformations Paul Spencer 2. A Dangerous Age: From Boy to Young Man in Red Xhosa Youth Organisations Philip Mayer and Iona Mayer 3. The Social Process of Adolescence in a Therapeutic Community Iain Edgar 4. Coming of Age Among Jews: Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies Leonard Mars 5. Interpreting Life Texts and Negotiating Life Courses: Youth, Ethnicity and Culture Paul Yates 6. The Notion of Adulthood in Rural Soviet Georgian Society Tamara Dragadze 7. Metaphors the Chinese Age By Stuart Thompson 8. Growing Old Gracefully: Physical, Social and Spiritual Transformations in Venda Society, 1956-66 John Blacking 9. Dimensions of Adulthood in Britain: Long-term Unemployment and Mental Handicap Richard Jenkins 10. The Social Construction of Parenthood in the People's Republic of China Elisabeth Croll 11. Old Master, Young Master: Retirement on Finnish Farms Ray Abrahams 12. Strategies for Old Age Among the Berti of the Sudan Ladislav Holy 13. Dimensions of Change: Three Studies of the Construction of Ageing Haim Hazan 14. Clubs for le Troisième Âge: Communitas or Conflict Judith Okely. Name Index. Subject Index.