Doctoral Dissertation Research: Interactions among socio-demographic characteristics and identity in shaping aging

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Individuals experience aging differently according to both individual and community attributes. How these factors interact to affect well-being in old age, however, remains poorly understood. This project uses theory from scientific cultural anthropology to test among multiple possible life courses in old age among individuals of varying identities and socio-economic characteristics to understand whether specific factors emerge as particularly salient in predicting aging and welfare among older individuals. In addition to training a graduate student in scientific research, this project trains undergraduate students, disseminates its findings broadly to academic and non-academic audiences, and develops undergraduate curricula. Research on aging has principally concentrated on analyses of a single aspect of an individual’s identity. This study complements this focus by investigating how a number of socio-demographic characteristics interact with aspects of identity to affect an individual’s life and aging experiences. This project employs ethnographic methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, to investigate aging and welfare within a diverse senior population. It advances knowledge of human aging processes and outcomes by investigating predictive factors at multiple levels of an individual’s identity and livelihood, providing much-needed nuance to studies attempting to unravel how patterns and consequences of human aging. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.