In 2017 OPRO published its first book, a Slovenian translation of Lars Tornstam’s Gerotranscendence: A Developmental Theory of Positive Aging. A year later Aude Lancelin’s and Marie Lemonnier’s Les philosophes et l’amour – Aimer de Socrate à Simone de Beauvoir (The Philosophers and Love – To Love from Socrates to Simone de Beauvoir), a short booklet about universal basic income ‘Usoda tržnega dna’, Simone de Beauvoir’s La Viellese (Old Age) and Dragan Petrovec’ Pismo nigerijske vdove (The Letter from Nigerian Widow), were published. From 2019 the istitute continues to publish books on old age, ageing and related social issues. In this respect we are particularly grateful to Slovenian Research Agency, The City of Ljubljana and Uppsala University that have financially contributed to our publishing efforts.
Tomaž Gerdina, Zvezdan Pirtošek, Majda Pahor in Duša Hlade-Zore:
Crescendo in the Same Major: On the Fate of the Older People on the Sunny Side of the Alps
OPRO, 2020.
The book Crescendo in the Same Major: On the Fate of the Older People on the Sunny Side of the Alps draws attention to the consequences of ageism revealed by the coronavirus pandemic and calls for a change in thinking about old age and related social issues. The book deals with the problem of ageism in the healthcare setting, questions the role of media in perpetuating old age stereotypes, criticizes the normativity of the concept of successful ageing and calls for a better future for the older people.
Erik Olin Wright
How to be an Anti-capitalist in the 21.st Century
OPRO, 2020.
How to be an Anti-capitalist in the 21.st Century is the last published work of one of the greatest sociologists Erik Olin Wright. In it, the author without ‘the unnecessary academic ballast’ describes his view of the possibilities to form a collective and develop strategies to undermine capitalism in the 21.st century. The book is characterised by optimism that the future where anyone can develop his full potentials, is possible.
Tuppy Owens and Claire de Than:
Supporting Disabled People with their Sexual Lives: A Clear Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals
OPRO, 2020
The book Supporting Disabled People with their Sexual Lives: A Clear Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals raises pressing questions about supporting disabled people with their sex life. It asks how to deal with the emotions and feelings of a disabled person in your care; what to do with passion, the desire for intimate closeness to another man or woman in a care setting and how experts can approach the topic of sexuality of disabled people.
Matjaž Lunaček:
Glasovi in podobe (Sounds and images)
OPRO, 2020
The book Sounds and Images by Matjaž Lunaček combines vignettes and short stories, fiction and biography to convey intimate reflections on various prominent personalities and events that have shaped our culture and society. The book is divided into two parts. The first part contains 24 vignettes. The second part contains 16 essays and dialogues.
Simone de Beauvoir:
Old Age (La Viellese)
The Old Age is one of Simone de Beauvoir’s fundamental works that has remained vastly overlooked in the past, despite the fact that it represents one of the most lucid analysis of the old age and ageing phenomena. It stands as a sincere attempt to describe the heterogeneity of old age and to give a voice to the dehumanized old people whose faith shows that humanitarianism of our civilization has failed. This failure is not only the effect of the aging policies are that according to de Beauvoir almost barbaric, but is in essence linked to the unequal distribution of power in society that existed throughout history. The book consists of two independently published parts.
Old Age vol. I: Old Age Seen from Without (Le point de vue de l’extériorité)
OPRO, 2018
The first part of the book is to be understood as a sociological study that is furnished with cross-disciplinary data sources, from art history to literature, from cultural studies to anthropology. Myths, attitudes toward death and dying, social and biological history of old age, gender and class differences are just some of the themes mentioned in this comprehensive book.
Old Age vol. II: The Being-in-the-World (L’Être-dans-le-monde)
OPRO, 2020
In the second part (published in 2020) Simone de Beauvoir focuses on subjective experience and meaning of growing old. By the means of phenomenological analysis, she examines the myths and realities of old age, and presents proof that despite societies’ expectations, older people still feel the same passions as their younger counterparts. De Beauvoir addresses societies’ marginalization and neglect of its oldest members, and challenges the reader to make a change.
Otto Gerdina, Maca Jogan, Vesna Švab, Borut Ošlaj, Sandra Cico, Tatjana Arnšek:
Starost ni za mevže (Growing Old Ain’t for Sissies)
OPRO, 2019
The book synthesizes the findings of researcher Otto Gerdina and expert associates of OPRO, Institute. It explores the covert forms of intimate partner violence in old age, identifies new, age-specific forms of intimate partner violence and explains the causes and motivations for them. It also discusses related social issues such as suicide in old age or mobbing of older employees.
Dragan Petrovec:
Pismo nigerijske vdove (The letter from Nigerian Widow)
OPRO, 2018
In Pismo nigerijske vdove, Dragan Petrovec showed all his subtlety of observing the world around him and leniency to the accidental peasants and his own complications with them. The book consists of 20 short stories in which the author questions a number of social norms in a humoresque and most thrilling fashion.
Lars Tornstam:
Gerotranscendence: A Developmental Theory of Positive Aging
OPRO, 2017.
It is the magnum opus of a extremely prolific Swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam which describes the final stage of ageing – a natural process moving toward maturation and wisdom. The theory is most simply defined as the shift from a materialistic and rational vision to a more transcendent one, normally followed by an increase in life satisfaction, noteworthy change in the way a person perceives his or herself, values relationships with other people and understand life as a whole. The theory portraits old age as a special life phase with its very own meaning and character, that is distinct from the meaning one experiences in young adulthood or middle age. In the current wasteland of new aging theories, Tornstams work stands in contrast to the view that positive aging is understood as perpetual youth where people try to remain active, productive, efficient, independent, healthy, wealthy and sociable.
Urban Boljka, Tanja Rener, Janez Šušteršič et al.:
Usoda tržnega dna (The fate of impoverished mass and universal basic income)
OPRO, 2018
‘Usoda tržnega dna’ is based on conversations, testimonies, findings, experience, knowledge and wisdom of the professional public about the universal basic income. It covers some of the most important dilemmas regarding the introduction of universal basic income in Slovenia. Although ‘Usoda tržnega dna’ is predominantly based on the view of Dr. Tanja Rener, Dr. Janez Šušteršič and Dr. Urban Boljka, Janez Cigler Kralj, Frančiška Ćetković, dr. Miroljub Ignjatović, Jože Mencinger, Goran Novković, Perica Radonjić, dr. Franc Trček, Marjan Vončina and Otto Gerdina have also contributed some thoughts.
Aude Lancelin, Marie Lemonnier:
Philosophers and love – From Socrates to Simone de Beauvoir (Les philosophes et l’amour – Aimer de Socrate à Simone de Beauvoir)
OPRO, 2018.
Aude Lancelin and Marie Lemonnier both distinguished journalists writing for the French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur have combined years of research to create this pioneer work on philosophy of love. The book not only gathers the teachings and reflections of Plato, Montaigne, Rousseau, Schopenhauer, Sartre and the like but also combines and connects it with accessible information on their own biographies, true love stories and illustrative examples from contemporary fiction that make it interesting easy to read for wider audiences.
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