This project encompasses multiple efforts to critically analyze the phenomenon of old age within the context of prevailing contemporary policies.
This project encompasses multiple efforts to critically analyze the phenomenon of old age within the context of prevailing contemporary policies.
Gerontology is the multifaceted study of aging, encompassing social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects. As a discipline, gerontology is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on various fields to build a comprehensive understanding of aging processes and old age.
Critical gerontology offers a lens that scrutinizes both the societal context of aging and the field of gerontology itself. It posits that the experience of aging and old age, as well as the positions assigned to older adults, are influenced by material conditions, structural factors, policy decisions, economic forces, cultural values, and societal norms.
Furthermore, critical gerontology challenges conventional aging theories, providing a nuanced critique of their assumptions and implications. This approach embodies a “double gaze”, inviting introspection into the conceptualizations of aging, while also examining how these concepts are manifested in society and frame and shape old age.
Publications:
Ågotnes, G., Moholt, J-M. & Blix, B.H. (2023). From volunteer work to informal care by stealth: a ‘new voluntarism’ in social democratic health and welfare services for older adults. Ageing & Society, 43 (9), 2173-2189 doi:10.1017/S0144686X21001598
Blix, B.H. & Ågotnes, G. (2023). Aging Successfully in the Changing Norwegian Welfare State: A Policy Analysis Framed by Critical Gerontology, The Gerontologist, 63 (7), 1228–1237, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac177
Blix B.H. & Munkejord M-C. (2022). Indigenous Sami Family Caregivers’ Experiences With Accessing and Collaborating With Municipal Health and Care Services. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 9. doi:10.1177/23333936221123333
Blix, B. H., Stalsberg, H. & Moholt, J-M. (2021). "Demografisk utvikling og potensialet for uformell omsorg i Norge [Demographic shift and the potential for informal care in Norway]." Tidsskrift for omsorgsforskning 7(1) https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.2387-5984-2021-01-03
Contact person: Professor Bodil H. Blix