Dr. Carroll Estes has long been recognized as one of our most influential social gerontologists beginning with the publication of the Aging Enterprise. The process of aging over the life course is affected by biological and psychological factors, but a sociological perspective makes an important contribution to our understanding of aging by explicating how social, economic, and political forces shape the aging experience. This book quickly achieved iconic status among gerontologists and other social scientists as one of the founding texts in critical gerontology.