Generation as a Sociological Problem

Abstract

For many millenia, in cultures around the world, the concept of has prospered. Its privileged place in Western societies is reflected in its codification in the Bible, while the most disparate societies of Africa, Asia and Australia have incorporated the generational concept in their notions of the social order. It is no surprise that the idea of should have come into prominent use in Western sociology, just as so many other terms have been preempted from popular to scientific vocabulary. It was perhaps also inevitable that this transformation from folk to analytical usage would occasion considerable conceptual confusion. The term's mulivocality, a virtue in popular discourse, became a liability in science. In this review, I identify the sources of confusion in the sociological usage of generation as I examine the recent literature. Though others have identified many problems with the sociological usage of the concept, their strictures have thus far had only limited effect. The concept of is important to future sociological research, but progress can only be made if an acceptable definition of is employed and other usages are abandoned. Here my focus is conceptual and methodological. I do not attempt a comprehensive review of substantive findings, though the bibliography should be useful to those interested in pursuing specific substantive inter­ ests. Along with the recent sociological literature, I examine closely related works by social psychologists, political scientists, and anthropologists. I first identify the diversity of meanings attributed to the concept and discuss the intellectual heritage bequeathed to contemporary sociology. I examine the literature of the past dozen years, identifying areas of concep-