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This case study is based on the life history of an urban Chinese woman, Lydia, who has become an AIDS patient through injecting heroin use. Adopting theories of drug career and biopolitics, this study depicts Lydia’s drug-centered life. From the perspective of a drug career, this article vividly illustrates her experience of drug initiation, escalation, maintenance, and finally achievement of abstinence. In addition, this study also shows how drug use has penetrated all dimensions of Lydia’s life including intimate relationships, financial arrangements, and compulsory drug treatment; in the end, contracting HIV was when she finally hit rock bottom and worked to get rid of her heroin dependence. From the perspective of biopolitics, this article focuses on the institutional and social structure transformation that is reflected by Lydia’s personal experience, especially the social service, treatment, and intervention programs provided for her during an era of increasingly growing drug use and HIV-infected population.

This case study is based on the life history of an urban Chinese woman, Lydia, who has become an AIDS patient through injecting heroin use. Adopting theories of drug career and biopolitics, this study depicts Lydia’s drug-centered life. From the perspective of a drug career, this article vividly illustrates her experience of drug initiation, escalation, maintenance, and finally achievement of abstinence. In addition, this study also shows how drug use has penetrated all dimensions of Lydia’s life including intimate relationships, financial arrangements, and compulsory drug treatment; in the end, contracting HIV was when she finally hit rock bottom and worked to get rid of her heroin dependence. From the perspective of biopolitics, this article focuses on the institutional and social structure transformation that is reflected by Lydia’s personal experience, especially the social service, treatment, and intervention programs provided for her during an era of increasingly growing drug use and HIV-infected population.

The members of 'GENERATIONES' (INSII: International Network for the Study of Intergenerational Issues)), are very pleased to announce the publication of the definitive Edition '17 of the compendium 'Generations, Intergenerational Relationships, Generational Policy'. Based on an original text in German, the compendium presents and discusses the key concepts of intergenerational research in a systematic way. Its approach is characterized by the assumption that the forms of intergenerational relationships in families and kinship, institutions and communities is playing a fundamental role in the construction of individual and collective identities, and therefore in the development of societies. A cross-cultural, comparative approach accounting for linguistic diversity provides a promising avenue for theoretical, empirical and practical work in this currently crucially field for the social sciences, humanities and social policy. The Edition '17 includes 17 languages: German, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Rumanian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Turkish, Slovenian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, Ukrainian, Russian and Chinese. The compendium can be used as a tool for inter- and intracultural comparisons. Its layout facilitates the comparison between versions, which can be downloaded individually and in different combinations. The project has been financially supported by the cluster of excellence 'Cultural Foundation of Integration' of the University of Konstanz, Germany., Die Mitglieder des Internationalen Netzwerkes für die Analyse intergenerationeller Beziehungen GENERATIONES (INSII: Intergenerational Network for the Study of Intergenerational Issues) freuen sich, das Erscheinen der definitiven Ausgabe "Edition '17" ihres Kompendiums anzuzeigen. Darin werden - ausgehend von einem deutschen Basistext - Schlüsselbegriffe der Generationenforschung systematisch umschrieben und begründet. Kennzeichnend für die gewählte Perspektive ist die Annahme, die Gestaltung der Generationenbeziehungen in Familie, Verwandtschaft, Organisationen und Gemeinschaften sei grundlegend für die Entfaltung individueller und kollektiver Identitäten und dementsprechend für die Entwicklung des gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhaltes. Deshalb liegt in interkulturellen Vergleichen, die sensibel für sprachliche Unterschiede sind, ein wichtiges Potential für theoretisches und praktisches Arbeiten in diesem aktuell überaus wichtigen Feld der Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften sowie der Sozialpolitik. Das Kompendium liegt jetzt in 17 Sprach-Versionen vor. Sie werden so präsentiert, dass sie in einfacher Weise miteinander verglichen werden können. Folgende Sprachen sind enthalten: Deutsch, Englisch, Französisch, Spanisch, Italienisch, Polnisch, Portugiesisch, Ungarisch, Rumänisch, Schwedisch, Litauisch, Türkisch, Slowenisch, Bosnisch-Herzegowinisch, Ukrainisch, Russisch, Chinesisch. – Das Kompendium kann somit als Arbeitsinstrument für internationale Vergleiche ebenso wie für die interkulturelle Verständigung innerhalb einer Gesellschaft genutzt werden. Die Versionen können individuell und in beliebigen Kombinationen heruntergeladen werden. Das Projekt wurde vom Exzellenzcluster 16 "Kulturelle Grundlagen von Integration" der Universität Konstanz gefördert.