Growing Old in the Middles Ages – “ Winter Clothes us in Shadow and Pain

Year 2018, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 85 - 88, 28.12.2018

Özge Bozkurtoğlu Özcan

Abstract

One of the
most important changes brought about by technological developments has been the
increase in human life. While this has, in the first instance, resulted in us
focusing on the matters of health and quality of life, it has also had a big
impact on social and demographic changes. Indeed, the activeness of the groups
of individuals over the age of 60 or 65 – who we generally perceive as being
old – has also changed in line with these developments. Studies on old age are
no longer only directed at ensuring a comfortable life to a particular age
group, in the medical and physical sense, but also at their visibility within
society, the manner in which they are perceived by the other individuals of
society and the manner of living and thinking of these individuals, thus being
transformed into a comprehensive field. The work entitled, Growing Old in the Middles Ages – “ Winter Clothes us in Shadow and
Pain”, written by S. Shahar, looks into the position of the individuals
within this age group during the Middle Ages. It evaluates their positions in
urban and rural areas and working life, and the approaches of society and the
social institutions to the aged, in the light of sources from the Middle Ages.
The book begins with the chapter, which is in the form of an introduction,
where the scope of the book is assessed, following the Contents [ix] section, which contains the subject headings within
the book.

Keywords

Growing Old, Middles Ages

References

• Shulamith Shahar, Growing Old in the Middles Ages – “ Winter Clothes us in Shadow and Pain” Translated from Hebrew by Yael Lotan, Routledge, London&New YorkTaylor & Francis e-Library, 2002