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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Ageing activists
— who gets involved in older people's forums? | | Author(s) | Marian Barnes, Elizabeth Harrison, Lesley Murray |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 32, part 2, February 2012 |
| Pages | pp 261-280 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Activities of older people ; Self help organisations ; Participation. |
| Annotation | Based on research with members of two Senior Citizens Forums in the South East of England, this article examines the biographies and motivations of those who get involved in such activities, with particular emphasis on (a) how they see themselves in relation to `other older people' and (b) their relationships with the places in which they live. The first forum involved participatory research with members to explore issues prompting their participation and their experiences of this. The second comprised biographical interviews with forum members with reference to mobility and participation over their lifespan. The findings are discussed in relation to the characterisation of participants in such forums as the 'usual suspects' whose legitimacy to speak on behalf of others may be questioned, and by reference to a growing recognition of the significance of place in the lives of older people. Important differences in motivations, backgrounds and priorities of forum members are shown between the two forums. The research confirms that place-based participation tends to engage those who are fitter and who have more social and cultural capital, but questions assumptions that this means they are spaces for the pursuit of self-interest. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-120402005 A |
| Classmark | G: PQ: TMB |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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