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This chapter explores the lives and literary work of the older generation of contemporary writers in Myanmar through three writers: U Win Tin, journalist, politician, co-founder of the NLD with Aung San Suu Kyi, former political prisoner, and poet; Shwegu May Hnin, broadcaster, essayist, novelist, former political prisoner, agony aunt; and Pe Myint, short story writer, medic, journalist, news journal editor, and press council member.

This chapter focuses on one of the few traditional religious beliefs that truly declined in recent decades: believing that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Generational turnover is an important part of this trend, with more recently born individuals much less likely to believe in an inerrant Bible than those born longer ago. The overall percentage of those who believe that the Bible is the literal word of God declined slowly but surely as younger generations replaced older generations who had stricter views about the Bible. Social change occurring in this way can be gradual, but still profound. The chapter also looks at the recent growth in diffuse spirituality, including the rising number of people—especially young people—who say that they are spiritual but not religious.

This chapter discusses the politicisation of generational identity. It shows that the script of Boomer-blaming has formed the basis for a new political narrative, which has come to view generational conflict as an alternative frame to the class-based politics that dominated the twentieth century. This latest phase of generationalism overstates the importance of generational characteristics and difference, and threatens to turn them into a brittle form of generational identity, deliberately setting old and young against each other. A set of ideas about the ‘younger generation’ — the kind of people they are, the politics they support, the vision they hold of the future — has been marshalled to narrate political events and promote particular outcomes. Older generations, meanwhile, are positioned as standing in the way of the interests of the present — voting too much, voting the wrong way, daring to have a say on the future of a society in which they will soon be dead.

This chapter divides Mexico's power elite into two major generations, those born between 1910 and 1940, and those born after 1940. The most striking variable across Mexican power elite groups is a leader's age. A generational portrait of Mexico's power elite reveals how overall recruitment patterns are changing. The most pronounced generational division within Mexico's power elite is the dramatic difference between power elites born before or after 1940. The dramatic change in the socioeconomic background of Mexico's top leadership is paralleled by an equally dramatic regional shift in elite residence. Three types of Mexican intellectuals appeared in the second half of the twentieth century: public intellectual, private intellectual, and international intellectual. The older generation of power elites was exposed to historical experiences incorporating civil violence, political instability, and economic nationalism. The younger generation of leaders lost sight of a fundamental issue in Mexico: social and economic inequality.

This chapter reviews the housing circumstances and housing transition patterns of the current older population and of the baby boomers who are about to be classified as older persons. Although the older population was previously considered as a reasonably homogeneous group with limited demands, the movement of the baby boomers is causing a reorientation of the housing transitions of older people. This signifies that unlike previous generations, a significant proportion of this group has the means to engage in consumer-led retirement lifestyles which involve greater mobility and a willingness to change housing to meet preferences.

This chapter studies how technology can help keep the older generation safe and at home. If media commentary on this subject is to be believed, the Internet of Things will carry part of the load of caring for the elders. New, in-home smart systems will reduce caregiver stress through electronic surveillance, allowing doctors to get real-time insights into the health of loved ones, improving their quality of life. Indeed, teams of clinical, economic, security, and technical experts are now at work on a new form of “assisted living.” The model patient will have, in their home, passive environmental sensors, medical devices, wearable technologies, and interactive apps connected to their body and bed, floor and door frames, collecting a fast-moving stream of data. However, will these new, technologically sophisticated homes really tackle the core problems of aging and dementia? Technology by itself will not be the full solution. People have to figure out the role that old-fashioned social networks—humans checking in on humans—will play, and how technology can help augment, not replace, the role that caregivers play in maximizing quality of life for those who can no longer care for themselves. This will require a serious examination of the role of work and obligation, borne by those in middle age, and how this can fit in with the increasing responsibilities they will inevitably bear as the population ages.

This chapter deals with Harlan’s sudden rise to fame as a theater actor. In 1925, he becomes a member of Berlin’s State Theater and has his breakthrough with Max Halbe’s play Jugend (Youth), a story of doomed love that he will later adapt for the screen. In contrast to this rather old-fashioned play, he repeatedly appears in provocative, sexually charged productions and experimental plays written by young radicals such as Arnolt Bronnen who openly attack the older generation. Critics usually describe Harlan as vivid, boyish, and sometimes too loud. There are early signs of stagnation in his acting career; he does not always play the lead, and some of his stage partners such as Lucie Mannheim and Marlene Dietrich ultimately get more attention. But even in supporting parts, he occasionally steals scenes and becomes the center of attention, as in Erwin Piscator’s celebrated Eisenstein-influenced staging of Die Räuber (The robbers) in 1926.