New Forms of Ageism, Its Hidden Sources and Perspectives for Cultural Inclusion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/ageculturehumanities.v8i.142467Abstract
In this article I will discuss ageism as a form of exclusion of older people from society and “normal” life, its underlying cultural sources and perspectives for inclusion. To begin with (I), I will discuss how “compassionate ageism” – typical for the early welfare state - has been replaced by more harmful forms of ageism. This is followed (II) by an exploration of deeper layers of ageism from the perspective of finitude and the interhuman condition. Next, (III) I explore some preconditions of a cultural inclusion of older people, notably, the acceptance of a fundamental ambivalence of aging. For the timely project of developing an inspiring culture of aging we need an art of living that resists ageist labelling and stigma, embraces the ambivalences of finite life and doesn’t stop at “old age.”
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