Social time and generations

ENGenerational constructs are influenced by the socialising experiences that have an impact at any one particular social time. L. Chauvel argues that the processes of socialisation experienced during periods of economic growth seek to secure a position in society, and socialisation in times of economic crisis weakens those aspirations. The identification of historical generations as a structure of social identity emerged as part of the modernisation process. The importance of generations in modern societies has grown partly in response to the increasing uncertainties linked to other collective identities and as an outcome of rapid social change. The transformations that took place in Eastern Europe during the 1990s gave further impetus to the study of generations, resulting in those people born between 1960 and 1980 being identified as belonging to generations with unique demographic characteristics and adaptation strategies. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book. [Publisher annotation]