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21 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 109 (1994)
A Marxian Review of Gerontological Literature

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw21 and id is 283 raw text is: A Marxian Review of Gerontological Literature STEPHEN M. MARSON Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice Pembroke State University L. RICHARD DELLA FAVE Department of Sociology and Anthropology North Carolina State University A major concern for the sociology of aging and social gerontology is the lack of theoretical rigor. In particular, Birren and Bengtson (1988) describe all of social gerontology as data-rich but theory-poor. In an effort to deal with the lack of theory, this essay reviews the general social gerontology literature from a Marxian perspective. The findings suggest that the Marxian framework can illuminate aspects of social gerontology hitherto left unexamined in both the academic and applied arenas. In the light of recent events in Eastern Europe and the for- mer Soviet Union, a reasonable question might be asked, How relevant is a Marxist theoretical framework? Sociologists such as Hollander (1990) are highly critical of the continued use of the Marxian framework in academic circles. Some contemporary Marxists feel they must respond to statements like: The Berlin Wall is no more. Perestroika will soon be included in English dictionaries. The analytic Marxists greet what has been called the crisis of Marxism with a zealous joy. Wright (1989a, p. 36) articulates his belief that Marxism is in a period of theoretical transformation and will emerge from this state with greater ex- planatory power. He also refers to this new emerging Marxism as more politically relevant suggesting that the framework will be an even more effective tool for community organization and advocacy. In his elegantly written essay, Bowles (1990, p. A56) notes that the slogans being used in Eastern Europe

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