Edited by
René Levy, Universites de Lausanne et de Geneve, Lausanne, Switzerland
Paolo Ghisletta, Universite de Geneve, Geneve, Switzerland
Jean-Marie Le Goff, Universite de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Dario Spini, Universite de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Eric Widmer, Universite de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Description
Despite the well-established consensus on the need for an interdisciplinary research paradigm to understand the unfolding of human lives
within their social context, existing empirical research rarely embraces this belief. This volume aims at examining the feasibility and
hurdles of interdisciplinarity specific to given research fields by bringing together leading North-American and European researchers
in sociology, psychology, social psychology and social demography, all highly concerned with fostering an interdisciplinary perspective
for the study of the human life course. The contributions are organized along four major axes, three of them substantive (agency and
structure, transitions, and biographical re-constructions) and one methodological (methodological innovations), leaving ample leeway
for the contributions to address the specific gains and difficulties of empirical interdisciplinary research within their particular
domain. The editors introduce the volume by discussing general features, theoretical linkages, and transversal substantive themes of
interdisciplinarity in life course research. Likewise, the volume is ended by the editors’ conclusions based on the contributions; they
single out major challenges and difficulties for the interdisciplinary study of the life course, together with some promising research
meant to address such difficulties and improve current knowledge about the life course.
The volume speaks to both experienced scholars
and graduate students of the life course. Advanced scholars will benefit from the latest in life course research domains and from a comprehensive
overview of life course methodologies. Graduate students of the life course will find in the book an original introduction to many empirical
aspects of life course research and to the application of innovative methods to various research settings, as well as rich bibliographical
references from the research literature in English, German and French.
Included in series
Advances in Life Course Research
