Suchergebnisse

Was ist Alter? Wann beginnt es? Wie wird es geschlechtsspezifisch gedeutet und bewertet? Wie wird Alter(n) gesellschaftlich, kulturell und individuell wahrgenommen? Als Thema öffentlicher Debatten ist 'Alter' in den Medien allgegenwärtig: als Schreckbild einer alternden Gesellschaft, in der die Alterspyramide zum Pilz mutiert, oder als Wunschbild von kaufkräftigen Senioren in der Werbung. Kulturwissenschaftlich ist 'Alter' indes noch kaum differenziert. In diesem Band fragen Geistes- und SozialwissenschaftlerInnen sowie MedizinerInnen danach, wie sich Traum und Realität vom langen Leben auf der Ebene individueller Erfahrungen auswirken, wie sich dies in gesellschaftlichen Entwürfen äußert und in welchen kulturellen Bildern und Erzählungen 'Alter' vorgestellt wurde und wird.

"Bringing together insights from masculinity studies and age studies for the first time, this volume focuses on the gendered and relational perspectives in cultural representations of Alzheimer's disease. In the cultural context of many societies, Alzheimer's disease has come to represent the 'dark side' of longevity in the 21st century. While the dream of a long life has become a real possibility for many people, it has simultaneously given rise to new anxieties focused on cultural fears of 'demented' old age. In expert discourse as well as in personal accounts, Alzheimer's has produced what might be called a 'master narrative' that limits representation and narration and questions traditional views of selfhood and human development. Combining a comparative and interdisciplinary approach with a gendered perspective, the essays in this volume engage with Alzheimer's as a disease of ageing masculinities, drawing on representations of the disease in many different cultural contexts. Examining a broad range of source material, including memoir, film, poetry and prose fiction, this book looks at work from a wide range of authors, including Anne Carson, Philip Roth and Jonathan Franzen."--

Global mobility is one of the crucial phenomena of our time. Combining the theoretical frameworks of masculinity studies and age studies, the contributors to this volume examine the intersection of cultural exchange, gender and age, exploring ageing masculinities with reference to the key concepts of relationality, kinship and care. The essays analyze transcultural experiences of ageing men from Europe, relationships including the Indian diaspora in the US, Chinese father images in the US-American context and Black British queer kinship, drawing its examples also from Brazilian society and African European contexts.