Document Type
Research Brief
Date
4-6-2018
Keywords
Gender, LGTBQ, Aging
Language
English
Funder(s)
Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University
Disciplines
Sociology
Description/Abstract
In this brief, I outline a “queer” theoretical approach to aging research and present qualitative empirical data to exemplify this approach. My aim is to encourage scholars to blend the bourgeoning work of sexuality studies with the long-standing innovation and rigor of aging studies. Below, I make the explicit case for the “queering” of aging research by way of bringing in gender and sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, queer, or LGBTQ, individuals) into conversations regarding aging and the life course. I use the term “queering” here to show how aging studies can be turned on its head by including LGBTQ populations and perspectives, as doing so provides new vantage points towards understanding the way in which we age across the life course. I note that while an equally important task of merging these two fields would be to draw on the aging literature to inform sexuality research, the focus of the current project is to demonstrate how sexuality studies informs aging in order to bring in an influx of new frameworks for thinking about aging and the life course.
Recommended Citation
Reczek, Corinne, "Queering Aging" (2018). Aging Studies Institute. 2.
https://surface.syr.edu/asi/2
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights
© 2018 Syracuse University. This publication may be distributed freely for educational and research purposes as long as this copyright notice is attached. No commercial use of this material may be made without express written permission.
Additional Information
This Policy Brief series is a collection of essays on current public policy issues in aging and related research published by Syracuse University Aging Studies Institute. Prior to 2014, this series was published as part of the Syracuse University Center for Policy Research (CPR) Policy Brief Series.