Ageing, Generation and Identity In Times of Social Transformation

Ageing is a recurrent theme in public discourse and the focus of extensive academic research due to the dual impact of the challenges and opportunities presented by (the process of) global population ageing. This phenomenon also brings into focus the related topics of generations (understood in the context of intergenerational family relationships or those relating to social systems), and identity. In light of the aforementioned issues, the subsequent inquiries emerge: Are the respective self-images of older people subject to generational changes? Do generational identities matter as much as or less than age identities? How do the changing circumstances of parents’ later lives affect members of younger generations? Is the prospect of ageing – both their parents’ and their own – affected by the changes? All these phenomena have one thing in common: the changing understanding and social perception of concepts such as ageing, generation and identity.

We invite you to submit papers and join us in reflecting on the issues of ageing, generation and identity, which we consider to be increasingly salient in these turbulent times. The topics we would like to address during the session include, amongst others:

1. Cultural diversity in ageing
2. New stereotypes of old age, the phenomenon of ageism
3. An ageing society and family structure
4. Sandwich generations – how parents’ old age reconstructs their children’s own sense of identity
5. Ageing in the context of migration and transnational families