On July 3rd the BSG launched its latest book publication. It is entitled the Futures of Old Age and published by Sage. In it twenty-one leading social gerontologists from Britain and the US provide a comprehensive guide on how to think about the future of old age and give us their view of what that future might look like. They cover a wealth of contemporary themes including inequality and diversity, pensions and income, health and well-being, and identity and later life and ask questions such as: What is the future of old age? Will we be healthier? How will families, services, and economies adapt to an older population? They identify contrasting visions of the future; some have seen population ageing as a time-bomb with the potential to wreak havoc on national economies, while others see people finding new and exciting ways to live in later life.

The book is not about THE future but about Futures (with emphasis on the plural). It is difficult to get academics and researchers to speculate. They are happier with cautious statements rigorously supported by data. So this book is not written in Social Engineering mode, it is not a set of predictions. Nor is it a blue print for some model for the future of an ageing society, but it does contain a critical content seeking to expose the moral components of current trends and issues. The book is about identifying trends and possibilities and opening up debate about what is possible, probable and desirable.

There are both opportunities and pitfalls ahead with an ageing population, but these are carefully explored on the basis of research and systematic analysis. The contributions are theoretically sophisticated and collectively form a useful antidote to alarmist accounts of the future. Contributions range from the aspirational, to the reflective. Thus while Murna Downs and Errollyn Bruce discuss best practice for people with Alzheimer's and their families, and their aspirations for a more Alzheimer's friendly society, Simon Biggs reflects on how people might think about, or refuse to think about, their position in an ageing society. Some contributions set out to spot trends, for example Maria Evandrou and Jane Falkingham identify and project changes in the material well being of successive cohorts. All the authors rigorously avoid simplistic stereotypes, either of old people or of ageing societies.

The book has seven sections covering:

• the life course
• social differentiation
• retirement and pensions
• the 'self'
• health and well-being
• family and living arrangements
• globalisation

There are three contributions to each section. However the book also has a number of cross cutting themes. These include age and generation; global diversity; and tools for understanding changes to old age.

Age and generation

Cultural aspects of age and generation are explored through the book. Andrew Blaikie tells us about new generations with new styles as they grow older, while Simon Biggs discusses psychological adaptation to being part of an ageing society. Age and generation also appear in discussions of demographic issues. Although on a global level ageing of populations is mostly decline in fertility, it is partly to do with a large generation reaching retirement, and partly older people living longer. Many of the authors including Tony Warnes, Vern Bengtson and Norella Putney and Debora Price and Jay Ginn factor these complexities into their analysis. Diverse factors of age and generation impact on health - Christina Victor neatly sets out the dilemmas and uncertainties which result from changes in morbidity and mortality for different age groups and the health changes which result from changed life experience of successive generations.

The rapid changes in families and households and their consequences for the way people will live old age in the future form a further dimension of the age and generation theme. Kate Davidson explores, "flying alone" - the gendered diversity of what it means to live on ones own in old age, while Sarah Harper explains the postponement of traditional family transitions.

To what extent do age and generation affect religious life? Peter Coleman and colleagues tackle issues such as do people get more religious as they get older? Or is it a feature of generation - those who grew up singing the hymns are now the only ones who know the words? They also discuss the implications of their insights for the ministry.

Global Diversity

The future is not going to be the same for all older people. An increasingly diverse experience of old age is what most authors expect, with both negative and positive outcomes. Issues of class, gender and ethnicity are discussed by Alan Walker and Liam Foster, Sara Arber, and James Nazroo respectively. There is potentially increased inequality, both between and within, each of these social categories. Sheila Peace anticipates increased diversity in housing provision while in my own paper I raise the prospect of bio-medical control of longevity generating a further dimension to social inequality.

Chris Phillipson tackles globalisation directly looking at governance, economic consequences, and the impact of migration. The impact of migration and ethnicity for diversity in old age are also discussed by Tony Warnes and by James Nazroo, while Richard Minns shows how pensions carry new global risks.

Tools for understanding changes in old age

Jaber Gubrium and James Holstein's work is rigorous grounded theory. It is the antithesis of prescriptive social engineering. They remind us that people construct themselves (talk to others about themselves) as narrative and that the structure of narrative includes a future as well as a present and a past. The key concept of 'quality of life' is dissected by John Bond and Lynne Corner. Dale Dannafer and Casey Miklowski present their work on the changing understanding of the idea of the 'life course'.

Thanks

The editors wish to thank, on behalf of the BSG, the contributors and others who worked on the volume for their efforts. All the royalties from the book will go to support the activities of the BSG.