Linking ages: towards a new constructivist paradigm of age(ing) across the life course

Abstract

Age is a marker of social differences across the life course, with middle adulthood serving as the hegemonic stage of life and childhood, youth and later life serving as the ‘other’. However, gerontology has not yet actively engaged in a conversation with childhood and youth research. This debate piece showcases the potential of such a ‘Linking Ages’ dialogue by (1) contrasting basic theoretical frameworks that gerontology shares with childhood and youth studies; (2) reviewing how similar phenomena are approached differently from a childhood and youth studies versus an age studies perspective; and (3) considering how methodological traditions and innovations differ between those fields. Finally, I introduce a ‘Linking Ages’ research programme as a means to broaden and reflect on our gerontological horizon by looking at how other fields research age-related phenomena.

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