RC11 – Sociology of Aging
ISA World Congress of Sociology – ‘Sociology on the Move’
Gothenburg, Sweden
11-17th July 2010

Call for Papers

RC11 Abstract Submission Deadline – 10th November 2009

RC11 – Sociology of Aging is organising a full programme of sessions during the ISA World Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden, 11-17th July 2010.

We welcome submission of abstracts from a diversity of countries to present papers on aging for the RC11 sessions listed below.

Abstracts MUST include:
· Name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s)
· Contact details of presenting author (postal address, telephone, fax + email)
· Title of the proposed presentation
· A maximum of 250 word description of the proposed paper, subdivided into the following sections: Introduction; Methods; Results; Conclusions.
· An indication of the session you would like to submit your abstract to.

Please email your abstract by the deadline of 10th November to the RC11 Programme Coordinator, Sara Arber - S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk. Please also copy your abstract to the relevant session organiser(s).

Papers with a cross-national, comparative focus and papers by researchers earlier in their career are particularly welcomed.

Sara Arber, on behalf of the RC11 Programme Committee
RC11 World Congress Programme Committee
Sara Arber (Programme Coordinator, UK); Susan Feldman (Australia); Virpi Timonen (Ireland/Finland); Lucie Vidovicova (Czech Republic); Sandra Torres/Lars Andersson (Sweden)
9th February 2009

List of RC11 Sessions at the ISA World Congress, Gothenburg,
11-17th July 2010

1. Growing Older in Transnational Communities
Session organisers: Christina Victor, University of Reading, UK - c.r.victor@reading.ac.uk; Wendy Martin, University of Reading, UK -W.P.Martin@reading.ac.uk and Vanessa Burholt, University of Swansea, UK -v.burholt@swansea.ac.uk

2. Gender, Ageing and the Body
Symposium organisers: Laura Hurd Clarke, University of British Columbia, Canada - laura.hurd.clarke@ubc.ca and Julia Twigg, University of Kent, UK - J.M.Twigg@kent.ac.uk

3. Cultural Representations of the Ageing Body
Symposium organisers: Wendy Martin, University of Reading, UK - W.P.Martin@reading.ac.uk and Julia Twigg, University of Kent, UK - J.M.Twigg@kent.ac.uk

4. Aging of the Aged: The Case of the Oldest Old (80+)
Session organiser: P. K. B. Nayar, Centre for Gerontological Studies,
India - pkbnayar@rediffmail.com ; pkbnayar@yahoo.co.in ;

5. Ageing Societies and the Welfare State
Session organiser: Kathrin Komp, Department of Sociology, VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands - k.komp@fsw.vu.nl

6. Caregiving and Carework
Session organiser: Anne Martin Matthews, University of British Columbia, Canada - amm@exchange.ubc.ca ; amm@interchange.ubc.ca

7. The Use of Technology in Informal Care
Session organiser: Andreas Hoff, Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford, UK - andreas.hoff@ageing.ox.ac.uk

8. The Intersection of Age, Gender and Ethnicity: Implications for Studies of Old Age and Elderly Care
Session organiser: Sandra Torres, Linköping University, Sweden -
sandra.torres@isv.liu.se

9. Grandparenting and Inter-Generational Dynamics
Session organisers: Virpi Timonen and Ciara O’Dwyer, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - timonenv@tcd.ie

10. Older People’s Interest Representation and the Politics of Old Age
Session organisers: Martha Doyle and Virpi Timonen, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - martha.doyle@tcd.ie timonenv@tcd.ie

11. Media and Ageing: Representation and Consumption
Session organiser: Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic - Lucie.Vidovic@seznam.cz

12. Ageism: Structures and Agency
Session organisers: Lars Andersson, Linköping University, Sweden -
Lars.Andersson@isv.liu.se and Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic - Lucie.Vidovic@seznam.cz

13. Challenges facing Researchers in Ageing in 2010
Session organiser: Susan Feldman, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia - Susan.Feldman@med.monash.edu.au

14. Differences and Similarities in the Pace and Consequences of Population Ageing in Developed and Developing Countries
Session Organiser: László Kovács, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Oita-ken, Japan - laszlo.kovacs.1966@gmail.com

15: Older Workers and Retirement: Conflicting Trends
Session organiser: John Williamson, Boston College, USA - jbw@bc.edu

16. Worlds of Difference: Qualities of Life for Older People in Developing and Developed Countries (Joint between RC11 and RC55)
Session Organisers: Jaco Hoffman (RC11), Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford, UK -jacobus.hoffman@ageing.ox.ac.uk ; jaconda@iafrica.com and Valerie Moller (RC55), Rhodes University, South Africa - V.Moller@ru.ac.za

17. Older People’s Contributions to Societal Well-being (Joint between RC11 and RC55)
Session Organisers: Wolfgang Glatzer (RC55), Goethe University, Germany - Glatzer@soz.uni-frankfurt.de and Sara Arber (RC11), University of Surrey, Guildford, UK - S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk

18. Aging Populations and Leisure (Joint between RC13 and RC11)
Session Organisers: Ishwar Modi (RC13), India Institute of Social Sciences, Jaipur, India - iiiss2005modi@yahoo.co.in and Sara Arber (RC11), University of Surrey, Guildford, UK - S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk

19. Aging Well and its’ Societal Determinants in International Perspective (Joint between RC10 and RC11)
Session Organisers: Julia Rozanova (RC10), Brown University, USA - Julia_Rozanova@brown.edu and Andreas Hoff, Oxford Institute of Aging, University of Oxford, UK - andreas.hoff@ageing.ox.ac.uk

Descriptions RC11 Sessions for ISA World Congress, Gothenburg,
11-17th July 2010

1. Topic: Growing Older in Transnational Communities
Session organisers: Christina Victor, University of Reading, UK - c.r.victor@reading.ac.uk; Wendy Martin, University of Reading, UK -W.P.Martin@reading.ac.uk and Vanessa Burholt, University of Swansea, UK -v.burholt@swansea.ac.uk

Description: In recent years there has been an increasing interest in transnational networks and identities as people grow older. Globalisation is affecting older people directly or indirectly through the processes of migration, such as, people growing older in their nations of settlement, relocation to a new country during mid to later life, or experiences of adult children migrating. Transnational networks moreover highlight interconnections between nations of origin and nations of settlement, for example, in relation to economic and cultural phenomena and how experiences of families, care and support are continually being exchanged and rewritten. The aim of this symposium is to bring together a series of papers that explore the interplay of transnational networks, gender and ageing; and the lived experiences, family lives and social networks of older people living in transnational communities.

2. Topic: Gender, Ageing and the Body
Symposium organisers: Laura Hurd Clarke, University of British Columbia, Canada - laura.hurd.clarke@ubc.ca and Julia Twigg, University of Kent, UK - J.M.Twigg@kent.ac.uk

Description: Whilst it is recognized that men and women’s perceptions and experiences of their ageing bodies are different there has, until recently, been limited empirical and theoretical research into gender, ageing and the body. With an increasing interest in the significance of gender to how people experience their ageing bodies, the aim of this symposium is to bring together a series of papers that highlights men and women’s experiences and perceptions of growing older in gendered bodies. This symposium will therefore provide important insights into the role of masculinities and feminities as well as explore the interplay between gender, ageing and the body.

3. Topic: Cultural Representations of the Ageing Body
Symposium organisers: Wendy Martin, University of Reading, UK - W.P.Martin@reading.ac.uk and Julia Twigg, University of Kent, UK - J.M.Twigg@kent.ac.uk

Description: There has been an increasing interest in the social, cultural and biological dimensions of our bodies as we grow older. Cultural approaches have, for example, highlighted the ways in which ageing bodies are given meaning within and by culture; and how biological processes of ageing are contingent on the social and cultural milieu in which we live. This symposium brings together a series of empirical and theoretical papers that will critically explore cultural representations of the ageing body. The aim of the symposium is therefore to highlight how ideas within culture about ageing and bodies can influence our understandings and experiences of the ageing body.

4. Topic: Aging of the Aged: The Case of the Oldest Old (80+)
Session organiser: P. K. B. Nayar, Centre for Gerontological Studies,
Kochulloor, Trivandrum 695 011, India - pkbnayar@rediffmail.com ; pkbnayar@yahoo.co.in ;
Description: There is a tendency to treat all the old as a homogenous category and to design policies and programmes on that basis. However, the oldest old, those who are 80 years and over, are more likely to be economically more dependent, socially more deprived, psychologically more depressed and physically more disabled and diseased than the rest of the old (60-79 age group). Because of this situation, their needs and problems cannot be adequately and appropriately met by the policies and programmes designed with the young old in mind. What makes the problem critical is that, their proportion in the older population is increasing very rapidly. Over the next 4 decades, there will be a more than four-fold increase in their numbers. The session invites papers focusing on the oldest old, for example problems of family support, social-psychological support and health care support. Issues relating to the oldest old can also be examined from the point of view of the UN Principles for Older Persons - Independence, Participation, Care, Self-fulfillment and Dignity.

5. Topic: Ageing Societies and the Welfare State
Session organiser: Kathrin Komp, Department of Sociology, VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands - k.komp@fsw.vu.nl

Description: The interplay of ageing societies and the welfare state is at the centre of many contemporary debates. On the one hand, the influence of the welfare state on ageing societies is stressed, for example the influence of the welfare state on the reshaping of the life-course and on social inequalities among older persons. On the other hand, the influence of ageing societies on the welfare state is discussed, for example leading to the introduction of strategies to counter the pressure that ageing societies exert on social insurances. In the session, both kinds of causal influences will be discussed.

6. Topic: Caregiving and Carework
Session organiser: Anne Martin Matthews, University of British Columbia, Canada - amm@exchange.ubc.ca ; amm@interchange.ubc.ca

Description: The proposed session will focus on the relationship between the paid and unpaid labour of care. Papers focused on the training, recruitment and retention of paid care workers, and the global challenges of meeting anticipated needs for care will be especially welcome.

7. Topic: The Use of Technology in Informal Care
Session organiser: Andreas Hoff, Oxford Institute of Aging, University of Oxford, UK - andreas.hoff@ageing.ox.ac.uk

Description: So-called ‘smart home’ technologies, health monitoring techniques and assistive technologies counterbalancing the impact of physical, cognitive, vision, and hearing impairment are beginning to revolutionise formal and informal care provision. These technologies have the potential to improve care recipients’ well-being substantially. ‘Telecare’ technologies can also help family carers monitoring the person in their care using various sensors placed around the care recipient’s home, taking immediate action if needed, without being physically present. However, gains in physical ability and greater independence may come at a high price: a less intimate caring relationship, in which the care recipient becomes monitored from a distance and ‘remote-controlled’. This session will explore how the use of modern technologies changes the caring relationship between care giver and care recipient in informal care, including the benefits arising from such technologies, and the possible emergence of new risks.

8. Topic: The Intersection of Age, Gender and Ethnicity: Implications for Studies of Old Age and Elderly Care
Session organiser: Sandra Torres, Linköping University, Sweden -
sandra.torres@isv.liu.se

Description: The manner in which social positions such as age, gender and ethnicity interact with one another to bring about different outcomes has been the topic of great debate for some years. Although numerous advancements have been made in the way in which gender-oriented social gerontologists study how gender mediates the process of aging and the social position(s) that old age can be, the same does not hold true for ethnicity-aware gerontologists. This session aims to shed light on the implications that the idea of intersectionality can have for studies of old age and elderly care that aim to be both gender and ethnicity-aware.

9. Topic: Grandparenting and Inter-Generational Dynamics
Session organisers: Virpi Timonen and Ciara O’Dwyer, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - timonenv@tcd.ie

Description: Grandparents have always played an important role in family life, but over the last twenty years, many have taken on increased responsibility for their grandchildren due to changes in families and society. Conversely, the capacity of some grandparents to be involved in the lives of their grandchildren has been diminished as a result of geographical distance and divorce. Grandparents are also parents, and their relationship with their own children can have a powerful mediating impact on the quantity and quality of relationships with grandchildren. Papers for this session should be focused on some aspects of relationships between two or more generations, and the impact of social and economic changes on these relationships.

10. Topic: Older People’s Interest Representation and the Politics of Old Age
Session organisers: Martha Doyle and Virpi Timonen, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - martha.doyle@tcd.ie timonenv@tcd.ie

Description: Older people’s interest groups have been in existence for a considerable length of time in some countries (such as the United States), and are relatively new additions to the political landscape in many others. Very little is know of the key characteristics and agendas of these groups and of the old-age specific activities of other relevant actors such as trade unions; even less is known of the ways in which they seek to influence policies, the channels they utilise to exert influence, and the impact (if any) that they have on policy-making in ageing societies. The session invites papers that analyse the nature, origins, agendas and impact of interest organisations that represent older people.

11. Topic: Media and Ageing: Representation and Consumption
Session organiser: Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic - Lucie.Vidovic@seznam.cz

Description: In the mainstream social theories are media accounted for one of the most important agents of the reality construction. In theories dealing with ageism and age discrimination the media is considered a source of the biased images of old age and ageing in society, and is regularly accused of under-representing older people. On the other hand, it is suggested that the media can play a very important role in the removal of negative images of aged people – by changing the presented images. This session will provide empirical evidence of the ways that the media present old age and how (and if) there is change in the media consumption between cohorts and age groups in the context of ageing populations.

12. Topic: Ageism: Structures and Agency
Session organisers: Lars Andersson, Linköping University, Sweden -
Lars.Andersson@isv.liu.se and Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic - Lucie.Vidovic@seznam.cz

Description: Although ageism is a widely used concept in social theory, policy and in public debates, there seems to be little consensus about its origins, and how to integrate its explicit and subtle expressions. This session will provide the starting point for discussions on determining structures and the agency of older people in different societies.

13. Topic: Challenges facing Researchers in Ageing in 2010
Session organiser: Susan Feldman, Healthy Ageing Research Unit, Primary Care Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia - Susan.Feldman@med.monash.edu.au

Description: The international community of researchers engaged in generating knowledge about the experience of growing older continues to expand, yet researchers in this field continue to face a range of challenges as they strive to undertake high quality, well funded and published research. This session will provide the opportunity for RC 11 members - experienced and emerging researchers alike, to share their experiences and offer insights into how some of the substantial challenges may be addressed at a local, national and international level.

14. Topic: Differences and Similarities in the Pace and Consequences of Population Ageing in Developed and Developing Countries
Session Organiser: László Kovács, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Oita-ken, Japan - laszlo.kovacs.1966@gmail.com

Description: The session welcomes scholars with different backgrounds both from the developing and developed part of the world with an interest in the change in the age distribution of the population and encourages potential contributors to present their research findings about demographical, sociological, psychological aspects of the growing proportion of elderly population, as well as the economical, political (in particular socio-political) connotations of the change in the age-structure of population.

15: Topic: Older Workers and Retirement: Conflicting Trends
Session organiser: John Williamson, Department of Sociology, Centre for Retirement Research, Boston College, USA - jbw@bc.edu

Description: Over recent years, older workers have been encouraged to remain in the labour market for longer and state pension/retirement ages have increased in many western countries. Age discrimination legislation, plus reductions in the value of state pensions have also encouraged delayed retirement or return to employment following formal retirement. In contrast, the looming ‘global recession’ may mean that older workers are the first to lose their jobs or will be encouraged to leave the labour market to ‘make way’ for the younger unemployed. The session will discuss the nature and implications for older people of these conflicting trends.

16. Joint session between RC11 (Sociology of Aging) and RC55 (Social Indicators) from within the RC11 session allocation - Topic: Worlds of Difference: Qualities of Life for Older People in Developing and Developed Countries
Session Organisers: Jaco Hoffman (RC11) Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford, UK -jacobus.hoffman@ageing.ox.ac.uk ; jaconda@iafrica.com and
Valerie Moller (RC55) (Past-President: International Society for Quality of Life Studies), Rhodes University, South Africa - V.Moller@ru.ac.za

Description: What it means to grow old in dignity differs according to culture, social organisation, and the level of living of a society. Gerontologists and social indicators researchers need to be aware of these differences and the challenges they pose to empowering older people living in vastly different circumstances to make the most of their social and economic environment. Efforts to assess the difficulties and opportunities by means of qualitative and quantitative assessment may be a first step to moving towards better solutions for a later life of quality in both developed and developing societies. Particularly welcomed for this session are papers reporting on assessments of quality of life of older people in their part of the world.

17. Joint session between RC55 (Social Indicators) and RC11 (Sociology of Aging) from within the RC55 session allocation – Topic: Older People’s Contributions to Societal Well-being
Session Organisers: Wolfgang Glatzer (RC55), Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany - Glatzer@soz.uni-frankfurt.de and Sara Arber (RC11), University of Surrey, Guildford, UK - S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk

Session description: Older people make extensive contributions to societal well-being, for example through paid work, subsistence agriculture, voluntary work, neighbourly and community support, unpaid care for grandchildren, and unpaid care for sick/disabled family members. The session will examine the nature and extent of these contributions by older people and how they vary between developed and devloping societies. Both conceptual and measurement issues will be addressed.

18. Joint session between RC13 (Sociology of Leisure) and RC11 (Sociology of Aging) from within the RC13 session allocation - Topic: Aging Populations and Leisure
Session Organisers: Ishwar Modi (RC13), India Institute of Social Sciences, Jaipur, India - iiiss2005modi@yahoo.co.in and Sara Arber (RC11), University of Surrey, Guildford, UK - S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk

Description: The aging of populations in all parts of the world is a matter of serious concern, more so, in the context of the breaking down of joint and integrated families and the growth of nuclear families. Young adults under pressure of career opportunities are moving away from home leaving older people behind, which may cause them to live lonely and isolated lives. In the absence of other adults and children in the family they are often at a loss as to how to spend their increased free time. The session will examine whether leisure can become a means for creating spaces for older people to bond with others, providing meaning to life and for utilizing their wisdom gained through life's experiences.

19. Joint session between RC10 (Participation, Organizational Democracy and Self-Management) and RC11 (Sociology of Aging) from within the RC10 session allocation – Topic: Aging Well and its’ Societal Determinants in International Perspective
Session Organisers: Julia Rozanova (RC10), Brown University, USA - Julia_Rozanova@brown.edu and Andreas Hoff, Oxford Institute of Aging, University of Oxford, UK - andreas.hoff@ageing.ox.ac.uk

Increasing alarm that the graying of the population may raise societal costs of eldercare has drawn attention on factors that keep older persons independent, productive, and healthy in later life, and led to emergence of the aging-well perspective. As numerous studies found positive associations between social participation and various aspects of older adults’ physical and mental health, there is an assumption that keeping busy and socially engaged is an easy and inexpensive way to age well, and whether one achieves wellness in later life is up to the individual. This session aims to deconstruct this assumption by considering diverse individual and societal determinants of a person’s ability or inability to age in a healthy state.

It invites papers that explore factors that may expand or constrain opportunities for aging well for men and women who may differ by race, ethnicity, class, health and disability status, and other characteristics, and who live in different social, cultural, and economic contexts. It also welcomes papers that adopt interdisciplinary approaches or make cross-cultural comparisons.

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Important Deadlines

10th November 2009
Abstract deadline – abstracts sent to Programme Coordinator – S.Arber@surrey.ac.uk. Please also copy your abstract to the relevant session organiser(s)

1st January 2010
Session organisers submit details of their sessions (author names, affiliation, email, paper title, abstracts) to the Programme Coordinator.

31st January 2010
Programme Coordinator to submit full details of the RC11 session program (authors’ name, affiliation, e-mail, and paper title) to ISA.

1st May 2010
Pre-registration deadline for all programme participants (presenters, chairs, discussants, etc.). Otherwise their names will not appear in the Programme Book and abstracts of their papers will not be published.

1st May 2010
Deadline for on-line submission of abstracts of accepted papers to the Cambridge Sociological Abstracts web site. Abstracts are only accepted by the system from those who are already registered for the Congress.