1st Edition

Reframing Aging Insights from Biology and Culture of Midlife Japanese

By Melissa K. Melby Copyright 2025
294 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

294 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

294 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

How do we age? Why do we age? How and why does menopause happen? Do different cultures have different approaches and attitudes to, and experiences of, aging and menopause? Reframing Aging: Insights from Biology and Culture of Midlife Japanese uses a biocultural framework to try to answer these questions, and gain insights on aging and menopause in Japan, the United States, and beyond. Drawing... Read more

1. Introduction  PART I: PROXIMATE BIOLOGY  2. Proximate Biology: Introduction  3. Proximate Biology of Aging  4. Proximate Biology of Menopause  PART II: PROXIMATE CULTURAL  5. Proximate Culture: Introduction  6. Proximate Culture of Aging  7. Proximate Culture of Menopause   PART III: ULTIMATE BIOLOGICAL  8. Ultimate Biology: Introduction  9. Ultimate Biology of Aging  10. Ultimate Biology of Menopause  PART IV: ULTIMATE CULTURAL  11. Ultimate Culture: Introduction  12. Ultimate Culture of Aging  13. Ultimate Culture of Menopause  14. Questions & Future Explorations

Biography

Melissa K. Melby is a medical anthropologist and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Delaware, USA. She has been conducting research on biocultural understandings of, and approaches to, aging and menopause for over 25 years, with a particular focus on Japan.

“Melby’s book is an engaging demonstration of what holistic anthropology can do. Melby uses multiple complementary levels of analysis, integrating theoretical perspectives from biomedicine, biocultural anthropology, evolutionary biology, and public health, to prompt the reader to look at menopause and aging in a new light.”
- Karen Rosenberg, Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, USA

“Many scholars write about interdisciplinary science, but Melby’s accessible book walks the walk! She skillfully weaves insights from her participant-observer research with theory to fully articulate her comprehensive Proximate-Ultimate Biocultural framework. A must-read for all those interested in human development, culture, and their intersections.”
- Julie Hicks Patrick, Professor of Life-Span Developmental Psychology at West Virginia University, USA