Article on older villagers’ local community participation published

In rural areas characterised by ageing and declining populations and centralised services, responsibilities are being re-negotiated. Older people in particular are encouraged, in so-called ‘activation policies’ and in public discourse, to ‘actively’ or ‘productively’ age and to get involved in their local communities. Against this background, the article analyses the local community participation of older villagers on the basis of 15 semi-structured interviews.
The analysis reveals that they participate, to different degrees, in three fields: local politics, associations and interest groups, and informal community activities. Individual experiences are identified as being shaped by complex interrelations between socioeconomic status, gender and residential history. Analysing the stories of older village residents also points to the role of expectations. On the one hand, they report expectations directed at themselves; on the other hand, they also expect younger people and incomers in particular to participate locally. These expectations are interpreted as forms of responsibilisation that underline the normativity of local community participation in a rural context.

The article ‘Local community participation of older village residents: Social differences and the role of expectations’ has been published in the Journal of Rural Studies, an international journal focussing on social, economic, political and cultural issues in rural areas. Franziska Lengerer wrote the article during her time as research assistant at the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies. The publication is part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Groningen, which is co-supervised by Annett Steinführer and is scheduled to be defended by the end of 2025.

Contact: Franziska Lengerer