Older women and situated knowledge: A contribution from the narrative productions methodology.

Abstract

This article offers a reflection on the value of narrative productions methodology (NPM) for the field of old age studies, relying on a research experience with older women activists from the group Bordadoras por la Memoria (Chile). First, we describe the social exclusion that affects older people and older women in particular, who are characterized in conventional science as passive and vulnerable subjects. Second, we refer to NPM research, exploring its potential and innovation in the field of the study of aging, as well as its contributions to the recognition of the agency of participants and their visibility as subjects of knowledge. Third, we provide an empirical description and theoretical-methodological reflection on this experience of working with NPM. Finally, we argue for narrative productions as valid forms of knowledge among older women that challenge conventional understandings of old age, render older women visible, and recognize them as political and knowledge subjects.