The Journal “Social Contexts” is electronic scientific journal about the sociological profile. However, the journal is wide open to other humanities and social sciences, such as cultural anthropology, philosophy, history, cultural studies, psychology, political science, as well as law and economics.
Special Issue
The darkness and brightness of old age
We invite empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that help to expand knowledge about the needs and the negatives sides of the living situation and the advantages of old age. An increasing percentage of the elderly and old people (over 65) in the population of many countries creates a necessity to draw attention to this retiring generation. The situation of many old people in the modern world is difficult, and their problems require a profound and comprehensive analysis. Considering this situation on an individual (psychological) level, we realize that these people struggle with an absolute necessity of constant adjustments to rapid economic and social changes and with the difficult problems of loneliness and isolation which has been referred to as “the acissors of social death”. Furthmore, on the collective (social) level one can notice visible changes in the social conditions of elderly people which are related to their altered social roles and status which reduce the productivity of the final years of the elderly. Multigenerational families in which old people had their constant place as well as high family and social status are now replaced by a two-generation family consisting of parent and children. One of the major challenges facing in European countries is the ageing of the population, an increase in the number and proportion of older people in society, the effects of which are observed in Poland. The paradigm of active, healthy ageing aims to harnessing the potential of older people through the creation of a more age-friendly environment. Papers should deliver a critical and comprehensive reflection on the darkness and brightness of ageing and old age. All papers will double-blind peer reviewed before publication.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Old age in the life cycle
- The old man in the situation of violence
- Involutional depression and mood disorders
- Positive and negative perspectives of old age
- Ageing in the social policy
- Ageism and discrimination
- Changes in social interactions of elderly people
- Conception of successful ageing
- The perspective of wrong ageing
- The quality of life in old age
- Older people in the field of new media
- Old age of people with disability
- Ethical dilemmas of social worker in working with older people
- The social capital of older people
- Necessity of institutional support for seniors
- Beauty old age
- The old age crises
- Escapes from old age or “geroescapism syndrome”
- Injury, loss and psychical trauma in old age
- The “giants” of geriatrics
- The image and the social status of an old man in twenty-first century society
- Communicational and social exclusion of older people
- Personality disorders in the elderly
- Death, mourning and experience of grief
Procedural matters and key dates:
- Please submit the title and abstract proposal in English (200-300 words) by 31 December, 2016 to the following email: kontekstyspoleczne@umcs.lublin.pl [1]and/or email: aazych@poczta.onet.pl [2] – indicating: tentative title, full author’s name, affiliation and email
- The deadline for submission of complete papers for review is 31 January, 2017. More details on how to prepare and submit paper can be found here: in English [3] ; in Polish [4]
- Reviews are due to authors on 15 May, 2017
- Papers with revisions due on 30 June, 2017
- Publication of the special issue: September, 2017