| Course Description |
While it is no secret that the developed world has been rapidly aging for some time now, it is the onset of aging in developing countries that makes the challenge of aging populations a global and pervasive process. What does this unique demographic shift imply for societies? How are anxieties regarding population aging shaped by historical experiences, socio-cultural norms and politics across settings? This course will examine the ideas and agenda that have shaped discussions around global aging. We will explore current anxieties regarding global population aging and fears for the future as being anchored in past ideas, actors and policies relating to international health and development. The course analyzes contemporary issues in population aging - such as the role of the state, maintenance of parents, intergenerational ties, retirement, and volunteering - as being shaped by the politics of race, class, gender and religious identity. Aging, as a category and as a 'problem' will be analyzed as being shaped not only by demographic thresholds but by power relations between developed and developing countries that date back to colonial legacies, population policies and to present day forces of globalization. This course will adopt an international and comparative perspective and explore the critical challenges posed to comprehensive and equitable approaches to old age and aging populations.
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