Aging, place, and the life course of societies

Abstract

This article presents a novel perspective from which to study aging and place. Adopting a Deweyan pragmatist perspective, aging and place are viewed through the lens of ongoing situations. Each situation is the dynamic expression of a co-constituted relationship between the aging person and place, a relationship shaped by processes of place integration in a quest for a sense of being in place. Habit and constant adaptation to changing circumstances are key elements of maintaining person/place harmony. In a world of constant uncertainty, change resulting in disharmony becomes problematic, provoking a need to act in response on an individual, community, or societal level. We illustrate how contemporary mega-trends, including accelerating technological advance (especially artificial intelligence), climate change, and evolving 21st century neoliberal and populist political economies, threaten the places where older adults reside as they shape the life course of societies, with the potential for a dystopian future. The threat is increasingly acute in places where changes are exacerbating longstanding generational, ethnic, economic, social, cultural, and regional disparities and generating new ones. An alternative path is possible. Adopting a progressive pragmatist approach to social inquiry and problem solution on the level of the community, we suggest the possibility of a more positive future. Engaging older adults, an important source of social capital, in this endeavor will be critical. Significant change in the current situation, with the objective of enhancing person/place harmony with equity and social justice for all, may not be rapid. It may take generations.