[Commlist] call for papers ENAS & NANAS joint conference: Narratives and Counter-Narratives of Aging and Old Age: Reflexivity in Aging Studies

  Narratives and Counter-Narratives of Aging and Old Age: Reflexivity in
  Aging Studies

**

*Organizational Committee: *Loredana Ivan, Dragoș Farmazon, Dumitrița Hîrtie

*Academic Committee:* Kate de Medeiros, Loredana Ivan, Ulla Kriebernegg, 
Raquel Medina, Maricel Oró Piqueras, Aagje Swinnen, Eva-Maria Trinkaus,

‘Narrative’ is a travelling concept (Mieke Bal, 2002) that is also used 
by scholars collaborating in the field of Aging Studies. A ‘cultural 
force to be reckoned with’ (Bal, 2002:10), it is alive and active in the 
humanities and arts as well as in the social sciences. As Aging Studies 
scholars rooted in different disciplines, we examine the experience of 
aging through stories of others, real or imagined, stories that link us 
to our own aging. Such narratives include life stories and other 
first-person accounts as well as all sorts of cultural representations 
including literature, film, photography and other modes of 
representation that also narrate – such as numbers and figures in 
surveys, algorithms, and big data. Bringing together the multiplicity of 
understandings of what master narratives and counter-narratives of age 
and aging mean to us, this conference aims at looking at the different 
interpretations in order to discuss what narrative as a 
transdisciplinary mode can actually do. This conference will ask 
scholars to contribute with their understanding and analysis of 
‘narrative’ to facilitate discussion on theoretical and methodological 
approaches. Together, we aim at challenging some of the prevalent 
perspectives on aging and old age such as the continuation of seeing 
aging as a social problem, or the old master narrative of frailty and 
dependency. What is the power of narrative in encouraging new 
perspectives focusing on older people’s diversity, their value to, and 
their role in society? As aging is the future for all of us, the 
conference will provide a ground for more appreciative perspectives on 
aging and later life created through the reflection on and challenge of 
existing structures.

We encourage participants to address:

·"truth" in narratives about aging (whose truths matter, what 
constitutes a "truthful" telling; power dynamics in narratives; and 
narratives from underrepresented groups);

  * narratives around age and longevity;
  * narratives about care;
  * narratives about old age during the COVID-19 pandemic/during lockdown;
  * reflections on cultural narratives, processes and strategies;
  * ageist portrayals of older people in cultural and media texts, as
    well as in advertising and technology;
  * intergenerational narratives of solidarity and conflict (climate
    change, care, welfare systems, etc.);
  * narratives bridging social practices;
  * identities and representations across different ages;
  * aging in data: older adults in a datafied society (the absence of
    older people from some data and ageist data bias)
  * narratives of algorithms;
  * narratives about younger and older people;

In particular, we welcome research that investigates the different 
concepts and methods used in multiple disciplines as they attempt to 
give shape to future narratives of aging processes. Studies with the aim 
of bringing together different disciplines in approaching topics related 
to aging, and of developing new research tools and methodologies are 
encouraged to be presented at the ENAS & NANAS conference.

*Plenary sessions, panels and individual papers: *The online conference 
will consist of plenary sessions, symposia, and panel presentations 
organized virtually by the /National University of Political Studies and 
Public Administration’s /Communication Department (www.snspa.ro 
<http://www.snspa.ro/>), Bucharest, Romania.

Contributors of papers should plan to present their papers virtually for 
15 minutes, allowing for 5‐10 minutes of discussion.

*Proposals for panels: *of up to 4 papers, each should include the title 
of the panel, an abstract of 800 words referring to each of the papers 
including the paper titles, a 5‐line biography of the panel chair(s) and 
of each of the other contributors, and contact details of the chair(s) 
and contributors.

*Proposals for papers: *should include the title of the paper, an 
abstract of 250 words, a 5‐line biography of the presenter, and contact 
details

Both ENAS and NANAS strongly encourage researchers early in their 
careers to submit proposals and share their work in progress.

*The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 31, 2022*

Conference Contact: (contact /at/ comunicare.ro) 
<mailto:(contact /at/ comunicare.ro)>(*Please submit your abstract/ panel 
proposals using this email address*)

*** ENAS: www.agingstudies.eu <http://www.agingstudies.eu/> *** NANAS: 
www.agingstudies.org <http://www.agingstudies.org/>

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