Extending the critical gerontology perspective: cultural dimensions. Introduction

This introduction outlines how the emerging framework of critical gerontology (CG) may be enhanced by greater emphasis on understanding the cultural influences on research and practice in gerontology. CG pursues empirical insights into the historical and cultural forces shaping the sense of the problem for study, that is, the formulation of topics and ways of defining issues. Illustrations are drawn from a recent GSA symposium. The articles following this introduction document, in relation to two key constructs, the need to understand how cultural-historical contexts complexly inform the focus of core topics of attention, how these are operationalized for research and policy, and their role in shaping the course of American gerontology.