In this seminar, Melanie Lovatt (University of Stirling), Valerie Wright (University of Glasgow) and Jade Elizabeth French (University of Stirling) present findings from the ESRC-funded project ‘Reimagining the Future in Older Age’.
The project explores:
How older people's narratives of the future are influenced by dominant social and cultural narratives, and what the consequences of this are for their lived experience.
How these narratives can construct older people as belonging to, or excluded from, the future.
How utopian and participatory arts-based research methods can enhance sociological understandings of the future.
There is more future time in older age than ever before, but this is often conceptualised as a time of burden and decline, rather than as more time to be enjoyed. Drawing on analysis of Mass Observation diaries about the future in older age and our use of fiction and forum theatre as a way to explore ageing and intergenerational relationships, we consider what we might desire as well as need, in the future as we age.
Inspired by Ruth Levitas’ ‘utopia as method’ (2013), our use of fiction and forum theatre were designed to create space to think afresh about the relationship between the future and ageing and prompt imaginative ideas about how we can flourish as we age. As well as presenting initial findings, we will also put into practice some of the creative methods used during the project.
Accessibility Statement: The event will take place online. Captions will be available.
The event will be recorded and published on the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health YouTube channel, so by attending you acknowledge you may be recorded. To maintain privacy, you are welcome to keep your video turned off and change your Zoom screen name.