This master's thesis explores aging, old age, and older individuals within the framework of
ethnology and cultural anthropology. It presents a literature review on aging and older adults
in Slovenian ethnology and cultural anthropology, with the aim of encouraging and
strengthening anthropological research on older adults in Slovenia. The thesis analyses key
concepts, approaches, and directions that anthropologists have used in researching aging and
older individuals. It briefly presents the development of the field of the anthropology of
aging and its connection to gerontology. At the center of the research is the question of how
Slovenian ethnologists and cultural anthropologists have written about older individuals
across different time periods, and what these works reveal about the position of the elderly.
Special emphasis is placed on works produced at the Department of Ethnology and Cultural
Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. The analysis of Slovenian
ethnological and anthropological works reveals a multifaceted relationship toward older
people in Slovenia over various periods. The thesis addresses areas and concepts related to
the understanding of old age and older individuals. It finds that older people were discussed
in the context of family, intergenerational relationships, and caregiving. Prior to the
introduction of pension insurance, they often faced difficult economic conditions, and the
role of the family was crucial. The elderly were also examined in the context of nursing
homes, life in nursing homes, and alternative forms of housing, with findings indicating that
home care is still the most preferred option. The role of technology in the lives of older
individuals, the biomedical aspects of aging, as well as various beauty ideals and the concept
of successful aging from a gender perspective were also explored. Loneliness among the
elderly emerges as an important topic that deserves even more attention. The reviewed
contributions show that the third stage of life is diverse and significantly shaped by an
individual's experiences and their perception of aging. It was found that despite the existing
contributions in Slovenian ethnology and cultural anthropology, there is a lack of in-depth
ethnological-anthropological research on older individuals in Slovenia based on long-term
participant observation.
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