Centre for Policy on Ageing



The Raging Grannies — defying stereotypes and embracing aging through activism
Author(s)	Dana Sawchuk
Journal title	Journal of Women & Aging, vol 21, no 3, 2009
Pages	pp 171-185
Source	http://www.tandfonline.com
Keywords	Grandmothers ; Older women ; Pressure groups ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; North America.
Annotation	The Raging Grannies (North America) are a group of older women who dress as "grannies" and alter the words of traditional songs to communicate political messages. Based on a review of song lyrics, participant observation, and interviews with 15 Grannies, this study explores Raging Granny activism and the strategic adoption of the grandmother identity. The Grannies challenge stereotypes of older women through the fact and forms of their activism, and they see their aged status as empowering and as something to be embraced. Grannies report that the grandmother identity serves a protective function and enhances movement efficacy. This case study adds to the sparse literature on older women's political activism and demonstrates that identity exploration is not restricted to youth-centred movements. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-100111202 A
Classmark	SW2: BD: PME: TOB: 7RA
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.