Microsoft Word - lindenbergBRf .docx Book  Review     Powell,  J.L.  Global  aging,  China  and  Urbanization.  New  York,  NY:  Nova  Science  Publishers.  2013.  ISBN:   978-­‐‑1-­‐‑6280-­‐‑8463-­‐‑4.  51  pp.  $52.00  (Ebook).     M J.  Lindenberg,  PhD   Leyden  Academy  on  Vitality  and  Ageing                                                     Anthropology & Aging, Vol 37, No 1 (2016), pp.55-56 ISSN 2374-2267 (online) DOI 10.5195/aa.2016.152         This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 United States License. This journal is published by the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh as part of its D-Scribe Digital Publishing Program, and is cosponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Anthropology  &  Aging   Vol  37,  No  1  (2016)        ISSN  2374-­‐‑2267  (online)        DOI  10.5195/aa.2016.152    http://anthro-­‐‑age.pitt.edu         Lindenberg  |  Book  Review  55   Book  Review   Powell,  J.L.  Global  aging,  China  and  Urbanization.  New  York,  NY:  Nova  Science  Publishers.  2013.  ISBN:  978-­‐‑1-­‐‑ 6280-­‐‑8463-­‐‑4.  51  pp.  $52.00  (Ebook).     M J.  Lindenberg,  PhD   Leyden  Academy  on  Vitality  and  Ageing     Jason  Powell’s  book  Global  aging,  China  and  Urbanization  comes  at  the  right  time:  a  time  in  which   aging  has  indeed  become  a  global  phenomena;  a  time  at  which  urbanization  is  a  worldwide  process  of   phenomenal  importance;  and  a  time  at  which  China  has  become  of  increasing  political,  economic  and  social   relevance  worldwide.  The  goals  he  sets  for  this  book  are  quite  ambitious  –  especially  considering  the  size   of  this  book  with  a  mere  51  pages  –  as  he  endeavors  to  expose  “the  nature  and  extent  of  global  aging  in   contemporary  society”  and  “the  implications  of  urbanization  for  Chinese  older  people”  (preface).  His  third,   and  last,  goal  is  to  moreover  “illuminate  a  perceptual  framework  to  examine  rapid  social  change”  (preface).   The   book   falls   into   two   main   parts.   The   first   part,   Chapter   2,   discusses   global   aging   in   three   continents:  North  America,  Europe  and  Asia.  It  describes  the  processes  and  implications  of  aging  primarily   focusing  on  demographic  trends,  retirement  schemes  and  financial  consequences.  This  chapter  is  rich  with   statistical  data  and  includes  an  illustrative  discussion  of  current  and  prospective  trends  in  demographic   ratios  and  financial  burdens.   The  second  part  of  the  book,  Chapter  3,  focuses  on  China  and  highlights  two  trends  that  have  come   about   simultaneously   in   China:   urbanization   and   aging.   Powell   convincingly   shows   by   ample   (and   interesting,  quite  unique)  statistical  data  how  aging  is  concentrated  in  Chinese  cities  such  as  Shanghai  and   Beijing.  As  a  result,  these  parallel  trends  of  aging  and  urbanization  have  become  interwoven.  Urban  aging   in  China  has  become  a  development  that  has  its  challenges.  On  the  one  hand  what  immediately  comes  to   mind  are  images  of  Chinese  elders  exercising,  dancing  and  discussing  in  the  street,  but  on  the  other  hand   the  precariousness  of  filial  and  pension  arrangements  also  emerge  leaving  China  with  many  of  uncertainties   that  touch  upon  the  global  processes  Powell  describes  in  Chapter  2.  In  this  chapter,  he  delves  more  deeply   into  the  idea  that  the  way  aging  is  portrayed,  or  is  imagined,  has  important  implications  for  the  way  social   policy  and  economic  policy  are  shaped.  In  this  context,  he  discusses  two  main  discourses:  the  neoliberal   economic  discourse  and  the  social  discourse  around  aging  in  China,  while  relating  these  to  larger  (global)   trends.  He  makes  some  sidesteps  to  social  theoretical  propositions  from  Butler  and  Foucault  to  situate  these   discursive  frameworks.  Powell  argues  that  one  of  the  key  issues  is  that  in  North-­‐‑American  and  European   contexts  aging  is  often  referred  to  as  a  biomedical  idiom  in  which  deterioration,  decline  and  decay  are   primary  epistemes.  Such  an  approach,  he  contends,  neglects  the  complexity  and  social-­‐‑construction  of  the   aging  process.  In  his  conclusion  he  therefore  makes  a  case  against  any  such  (negative)  stereotyping  and   simplification  and  argues  instead  to  look  at  age  and  aging  as  a  social  construct.   The  first  part  of  this  book  gives  a  broad  overview  of  what  one  could  see  as  global  aging,  although   the  selection  of  continents  and  the  actual  concept  of  “global”  remains  somewhat  unclear,  especially  given   the  intricacies  Powell  himself  points  at  in  his  chapters.  Chapter  2  does  point  to  global  processes  and  global   parallels  in  aging,  which  are  often  not  discussed  in  other  books  because  the  call  for  detail  and  the  urge  to   do  justice  to  uniqueness  is  so  strong.  The  second  part,  Chapter  3,  provides  an  introduction  to  aging  and   urbanization  in  China.  It  is  an  accessible  outline  that  gives  the  reader  an  important,  but  brief,  idea  of  the   state  of  affairs  in  China.  Theoretically,  the  whole  book  is  a  little  underdeveloped,  and  his  third  goal  to   approach  a  perceptual  framework  remains  a  little  hidden,  but  this  seems  inescapable  given  the  moderate           Anthropology  &  Aging   Vol  37,  No  1  (2016)        ISSN  2374-­‐‑2267  (online)        DOI  10.5195/aa.2016.152    http://anthro-­‐‑age.pitt.edu         Lindenberg  |  Book  Review  56     size  of  this  book.  All  in  all,  the  book  gives  a  good  overall  view  on  many  important  issues  in  aging  nowadays:   global  processes,  demographic  changes,  and  economic  consequences.  Nevertheless,  perhaps  his  ambitious     goals  were  a  little  too  ambitious  for  the  size  of  this  book.  Likely,  many  anthropologists  would  look  forward   to  a  next  book  in  which  Powell  will  take  his  own  words  of  avoiding  stereotyping  and  simplification  further   and  expose  the  actual  narratives  and  nuances  of  the  social  construct  of  aging.