The Politics of Potentiality:: Ageing and Loneliness in Denmark

Abstract

This article is based on an ethnographic study among elderly citizens and health care personnel on Møn Island and Southern Sealand. In recent years social isolation and loneliness among the elderly have become a key area within debates on public health in Denmark. With an outset in this observation the article explores why loneliness has become a main focus for the Danish health authorities. The question is how loneliness is being perceived at a time where the health of the elderly has become the object of increased attention. I tie the initiatives in relation to loneliness to more general 'politics of potentiality', i.e. a prevalent narrative of health in Denmark, which states that we all have the potential for - and an obligation to - not only maintain our health but also to remain socially engaged throughout our lives.