Call for papers (v. 41, 2025): Thematic Section "Ag(e)ing in Contemporaneity: Challenges and Potentialities"
The thematic section "Ag(e)ing in Contemporaneity: challenges and potentialities" proposes to expand the space for discussion on ag(e)ing based on the understanding that the discursivization of a given theme (de)constructs the field of meanings about it. Along with the increased demographic and longevity and the consequent changes in the social and political scenario, we have witnessed a myriad of challenges to designate, at the same time, an indisputably heterogeneous group and a stage of life that has been gaining visibility: elderly, senior, old(er) person, golden ager, best age, silver economy, long-lived older people, super old.
In addition to the designative issue, confronting the symbolic and material violence suffered by older people portrays the complexity of the theme. While some groups postpone retirements and claim social places that were previously difficult for them to occupy, others defy the derision. This seems to be the case of the recent episode at a private university in São Paulo, in which a 40-year-old woman, recently enrolled in a university program, was considered "too old" for such. There are also episodes of violence, such as those related to the scandal of Prevent Senior, a health insurance company that allegedly changed medical records to cover up deaths during the COVID-19 epidemic, in addition to carrying out medical research without consent and distributing drugs without proven effectiveness. Others face food and economic insecurity, as well as mistreatment and property violence.
In this context, after all, who can grow older? Is growing old a right and desire not yet fully democratized or is it just the 'inevitable fate to which we all are doomed'? Between the quest to determine the 'beginning' of ag(e)ing to ensure its best 'treatment' and disputes to define whether 'elderly,' 'old,' or 'senior' would be the most appropriate term for this stage of life, we continue to reject it from a social and individual point of view. Whether in politics, education, or culture, older people are still discredited and often left on the margins of social life. Seen as incapable of understanding their time and contribution, they are criticized for insisting on occupying places that by right would be, supposedly and historically, for young people. In healthcare, they are objectified in medical experiments, and their physical and emotional pain is often minimized. As Simone de Beauvoir (1970) rightly pointed out, ag(e)ing is "a kind of shameful secret of which (we add) is nasty to speak."
Resisting, however, there are spaces for coping, in which simplifications of ag(e)ing are questioned. In this sense, in addition to contributing to the academic and scientific debate on “Ag(e)ing in Contemporary Times: Challenges and Potentialities,” the organization of this thematic section is justified by the pressing need to deepen and disseminate understanding of ag(e)ing in contemporary times, promoting critical reflection that can support public policies, informed practices of education and health professionals, and community actions. In the thread of these concerns, this thematic section aims to bring together works that address ag(e)ing in its theoretical-applied, political, and clinical dimensions, whether in language studies, psychology, or the human sciences. We invite authors who deal with the complexity of ag(e)ing processes to contribute to expanding and tensioning naturalized, incipient, or dispersed knowledge about ag(e)ing in contemporary times.
The thematic section, thus, aims to gather unpublished manuscripts (articles, reviews, interviews, translations) around the following thematic axes:
- Policies aimed at ag(e)ing and its consequences
- Education and digital, cultural, and social inclusion projects aimed at ag(e)ing
- Decoloniality, intersectionality, ag(e)ing, ageism
- Identity, subjectivity, ag(e)ing, ageism
- The relationship between the normal and the pathological in the context of ag(e)ing
The submission for the thematic section follows two phases. First, author(s) submit an anonymized abstract of 300 to 500 words in which they specify the type of work (theoretical, clinical, etc.), theoretical affiliation, rationale, objectives, methodology, if applicable, some of the results or conclusions, and contribution(s) for the thematic section. All abstracts must contain refrences and 3-5 keyords (all of which are not considered in the word count). Upon abstract acceptance, author(s) submit the complete manuscript according to the journal’s guidelines in the second evaluation stage, as defined below. The entire process is anonymized.
Important dates
July 15 - September 15, 2024 - Open for submission of extended abstracts (300-500 words)
September 15 - October 6, 2024 - Abstract evaluation
October 7 - October 11, 2024 - Notification to authors of abstract evaluation results
October 12, 2024 - January 30, 2025 - Deadline for full article submission
February 1 - April 30, 2025 - Peer review evaluation
May 1 - May 30, 2025 - Article corrections finalization
June 1, 2025 - Thematic Section publication
Guest Editors
Carla N. V. Tavares (ILEEL/UFU): carlatav@ufu.br
Larissa P. Mazuchelli (ILEEL/UFU): larissa.mazuchelli@ufu.br
Sybele Macedo (Associação Clínica Freudiana): sy.macedo@gmail.com
