Critical gerontology may be seen as evolving along two paths simultaneously, one embracing a broad political economy of ageing framework, and the second emerging from a humanistic orientation. This paper will present and highlight the special contributions of each of these pathways to the understanding of ageing and growing old. Emergent feminist perspectives on ageing, and ‘culturally relevant ways of thinking’ about ageing and diversity will then be presented as complementing and extending critical gerontology. The concept of empowerment will be seen as linking all four of these conceptual approaches, and case studies and examples will be used to illustrate the relevance of these alternative perspectives for better understanding and addressing the problems and challenges facing gerontology in the years ahead.
