Linking Ages - Pathways to Cross-Fertilizing the Fields of Age and Childhood Studies

Age is a central social category: More than gender, ethnicity or social status age affects our social position, our social networks, lifestyles and aspirations. The rational, autonomous and agential adult resembles full personhood. In contrast, the margins of the life course – childhood and older age – are constructed as the ‘other’ to this seeming normalcy. However, it is exactly these margins that we can learn a lot from about the social construction of age itself. Despite this, childhood and age studies are institutionally, personally and discursively largely separated fields.

The joint session therefor aims to bring both the sociology of childhood and ageing into a fruitful dialogue. By asking: “What can childhood and ageing research learn from each other? And what can we learn from this about the social construction of age itself?” it addresses ageing and the life course from a completely new and innovative perspective, and draws attention of audiences from both childhood and age studies.

Consequently, we invite contributions that...
• ...problematize the concept of age in its implications for thinking about the margins of the life course
*...discuss theories, concepts and method(ologie)s (from childhood studies/age studies
in its fruitfulness to the other field)
• ...showcase empirical projects at the intersection of childhood
and ageing research, and/or findings that involve both children
and older adults
• ...build bridges between childhood and ageing research by
developing joint theoretical frameworks and methodological
innovations
* ... discuss the interface of the concept of age(ing) and other related concepts (e.g. generation, life stage)