The politics of ageing: health consumers, markets and hegemonic challenge

Salter, Brian and Salter, Charlotte (2018) The politics of ageing: health consumers, markets and hegemonic challenge. Sociology of Health & Illness, 40 (6). pp. 1069-1086. ISSN 0141-9889

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Abstract

In recent years ageing has travelled from the placid backwaters of politics into the mainstream of economic, social and cultural debate. What are the forces that have politicised ageing, creating a sustained opposition to the supply side hegemony of pharmaceuticals, medicine and state which has historically constructed, propagated and legitimised the understanding of ageing as decline in social worth? In addressing this question, the paper develops Gramsci's theory of hegemony to include the potentially disruptive demand side power of consumers and markets. It shows how in the case of ageing individuals acting in concert through the mechanisms of the market, and not institutionalised modes of opposition, may become the agents of hegemonic challenge through a combination of lifecourse choice and electoral leverage. In response, the hegemony is adapting through the promotion of professionally defined interpretations of ‘active ageing’ designed to retain hegemonic control. With the forces of hegemony and counter‐hegemony nicely balanced and fresh issues such as intergenerational justice constantly emerging, the political tensions of ageing are set to continue.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ageing,political economy,politics
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2018 15:30
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2022 03:03
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66502
DOI:	10.1111/1467-9566.12743

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