Ageing Activisms: A Narrative Exploration of Older Adults’ Experiences of Political Participation

Abstract

Studies on older adults’ political participation have been scarce. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence concerning the experience and meaning of this participation from the perspective of those involved. This study aimed at exploring older adults’ personal narratives of political participation episodes. We conducted 40 life-story interviews with Spanish lifetime activists. Their narrative accounts of positive participation experiences were analysed; thematic analysis was used for the content and Christopher Booker’s plotline classification was used for the structure. The participants’ stories revolved around political successes, leaving a legacy to younger generations, and personal growth processes. Generativity emerged as a key element of the positive political participation experiences. Although the emplotment strategies they used varied, most incorporated redemption sequences in which negative events were transformed by the protagonist’s action into positive events.

The Role of Generativity in Later Life in the Case of Productive Activities: Does the Type of Active Aging Activity Matter?

“…For instance, participation in many training or educational programs often depends on previous acquisition of numerous resources in terms of competence or knowledge (Patterson et al, 2016). Similarly, engagement in some political organizations seems to be the result of a lifetime commitment to similar activities (Serrat et al, 2021). In contrast, other activities, such as most of the leisure activities offered by community centers, are easier and less demanding (Bobitt, 2016).…”

Etnografia online sobre uma associação de pessoas reformadas em Portugal – O Facebook como meio de participação política em tempo de pandemia

“…Estudos focados em narrativas de ativistas mais velhos envolvidos em contextos políticos formais, como sindicatos, partidos políticos e associações de moradores (Serrat et al, 2021) contribuem para uma mais alargada compreensão deste fenómeno, potenciando a sua leitura a partir de uma perspetiva mais política, como defendiam Martinson e Minkler (2006), argumentando a necessidade de o analisar a partir da gerontologia crítica.…”