The course of human lives in Western society is inescapably shaped by political, cultural, and economic factors. Changes in these spheres inevitably lead to changes in our conceptions of everything from childhood and adulthood to family structures and living arrangements. The nineteen articles collected in The Life Course Reader offer a range of both theoretical and empirical studies of changing conceptions of the life course. Drawing on data from North America and Europe, the Reader will be indispensable for anyone studying human development and the twenty-first century family.

Walter R. Heinz is professor emeritus of sociology and psychology at the University of Bremen. Johannes Huinink is professor of sociology at the University of Bremen. Ansgar Weymann is professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Empirical and Applied Sociology.