Dear Subscribers,

We are pleased to present you with the third edition of our newsletter. 

Our Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care (CIRAC) continues to grow with inspiring researchers and projects that you can get to know at our upcoming events. 

We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and thinking with us,

Ulla Kriebernegg and Klaus Wegleitner

Directors of the Center for Interdisciplinary Aging and Care Research

Wenn Sie den Newsletter lieber auf Deutsch lesen möchten, klicken Sie bitte hier.

NEWS

Pflegestützpunkt 5.0: Still (Not) a Case for Geriatric Care?

A misstep, a fall, can pose an acute threat to older people. Can the risk of falling or frailty be recognized earlier to avoid suddenly becoming a case for geriatrics? Are the possibilities of modern geriatric medicine known to the population, at least to the target group and their relatives?

To “end up” in geriatric care is a daunting prospect. Today we want to approach this step by step. The starting point is a current international study which investigated the connection between frailty and the occurrence of dementia.

Guests on the program:

Ulla Kriebernegg, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care (CIRAC), University of Graz, Board member of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA)

Regina Roller-Wirnsberger, University Clinic for Internal Medicine, Head of the Research Unit for Geriatric Medicine and Lifelong Health, and Member of the Board of the Austrian Society for Geriatrics and Gerontology

Erwin Stolz, Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz

Moderation: Karin Schuster

The broadcast is in German.

Podcast: Still (Not) a Case for Geriatric Care?

Aging as a “Burden,” Climate Change as a “Generational War?”
New Research Project Approved

The DAAD-funded project European Societal Challenges in German Culture: Exploring Aging and Climate Change in Tandem (2025–2026) examines the cultural representations of aging as “burden” and climate change as a “generational war.” Led by Michaela Schrage-Früh (University of Limerick) and Tina-Karen Pusse (University of Galway), an international research team from Austria, Germany, Ireland, and the UK collaborates to analyze societal narratives surrounding demographic change and the climate crisis.

The project is inspired by the edited volume Age Studies and Ecocriticism: Interdisciplinary Encounters, published by Nassim Balestrini, Julia Hoydis, Anna-Christina Kainradl, and Ulla Kriebernegg, which also features a contribution from the project leaders.

CIRAC is delighted to participate as the Austrian project partner under the leadership of Ulla Kriebernegg and looks forward to this exciting initiative. Stay tuned for updates and upcoming events.

EU-CoWork – Developing Compassionate Workplaces: Project Partnerships Established and Survey Tools Developed 

The EU-CoWork project, which supports organizations in helping their employees deal with serious illness, loss, dying, death and grief, continues to gain momentum. At the end of 2024, a consortium meeting was held in Leuven (Belgium) to refine the research design, reflect on intervention methods, and develop survey instruments. At the same time, videos were made in which project leaders and doctorate students share their impressions of the project.

A facilitator training was organized in Belgium for the key researchers and process facilitators, who will work more intensively with the companies in the future and also accompany the development and implementation of interventions. 

We are delighted that LebensGroß and Imerys Talc will be joining us as project partners in Styria. The first meetings have already taken place in both companies to establish the partnership and coordinate the survey and development process for the coming years.

Project website

Welcome, Nina De Bettin Padolin!

Nina De Bettin Padolin is going to be part of the CIRAC team as a postdoctoral researcher for six years. She holds a PhD in American literature and cultural studies and defended her dissertation (supervisors: Nassim Balestrini and Klaus Rieser) at the University of Graz in 2024. Her habilitation project examines the representation of disabled aging in North American Indigenous literary and performative works by Indigenous writers from the 19^th century onwards. She works in the intersections between disability studies and care studies.

EVENTS

Philosophizing at Last: An Online Workshop Series for Palliative Care and Hospice Work

In our online workshops, we explore how Philosophical Practice and Palliative Care can complement and enrich each other. Following a keynote speech, we will engage in philosophical discussions about issues that arise directly within the context of Palliative Care and Hospice.

Dates: 6 March, 13 March, 20 March, and 27 March 2025

Online Workshops: 5:00–6:30 p.m. 

Lectures: 7:00–9:00 p.m.

You are welcome to attend all session or only individual ones.

Place: Zoom Language: German

Flyer for the event

Registration: Please reserve your place via this link.

Event Website

“Narratives of Aging”: Exhibition Project in Cooperation with the Volkskundemuseum am Paulustor

“Narratives of Aging” is an exhibition project initiated by the Folk Life Museum at Paulustor, exploring themes of aging, living, and care. Scientifically supervised by Ulla Kriebernegg and Anna-Christina Kainradl in cooperation with the Age and Care Research Group Graz, the project examines how residents of Graz conceptualize housing and care across the life course.

Alongside lectures by members of the Age and Care Research Group Graz and numerous workshops—some organized in partnership with CIRAC—the collaboration will culminate in an interdisciplinary conference, serving as the intellectual focal point of the project.

For further information: anna.kainradl@uni-graz.at

CIRAC Cinema Movie Series

Dates: 

2 April 2025: Die Geschichte der Dienerin,  adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1990, director: Volker Schlöndorff),

6 May 2025: Feminism WTF (2023, director: Katharina Mückstein), and

27 May 2025: Zärtliche Revolution (2024, director: Annelie Boroș)

The aim of this series is to promote dialogue on key social issues related to care, aging, gender, and democracy. Each screening will be accompanied by a panel of experts bringing together critical perspectives from academia and the public.

CIRAC Cinema is organized in cooperation with the Age and Care Research Group Graz, research network "Heterogeneity and Cohesion", and Radio Helsinki 92,6 – Freies Radio Graz at KIZ RoyalKino.

Reservations are now available at tickets@kinoinfo.at.
Tickets will be at the door at 3:30 p.m. on the day of the event.

Aging Studies and Ecocriticism: Post- and Pre-Docs at Work

On 28 April 2025, the second meeting of early career researchers working on age(ing), care and ecocriticism will take place. The meeting aims to develop innovative event formats, initiate new research collaborations, and outline future publication plans.

Building on the anthology Aging Studies and Ecocriticism (2023), participants will discuss central questions in the field, explore new research perspectives, and deepen existing approaches. In addition, the meeting will serve as a platform for strengthening interdisciplinary networks among emerging and early career scholars. 

This event is a collaboration between Ulla Kriebernegg and Anna-Christina Kainradl (CIRAC), Nassim Balestrini (American Studies, CIMIG) and Julia Hoydis (English Studies) and is part of the Faculty of Humanities the interdisciplinary faculty core research area “Perception: Episteme, Aesthetics, Politics.”

Encounters in Ultimate Situations. Philosophical Practice and Palliative Care in Dialog 

Conference at the University of Graz, Austria

Date: 10–12 October 2025

Experiences with dying, death, and mourning inspire philosophical reflection. This conference brings together experts from philosophy, science, and nursing to discuss central questions of life in an interdisciplinary way.

Conference languages: German & English

Conference website

 

Call for Abstracts

Would you like to give a workshop, present a paper or poster at the conference?

Please send your abstract in English or German as a PDF to hospizphilosophie@uni-graz.at and mention the section and format in the subject line (e.g., Section Palliative Care, poster).

Call for Abstracts

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST MONTHS

How applicable are theories of care? An interdisciplinary field of discourse in focus

Lecture on “Aesthetics of Care” and interdisciplinary workshop for pre- and post-docs

Florence Borggrefe’s (Zurich University of the Arts, Visiting Scholar at CIRAC) lecture “Aesthetics of Care” and the interdisciplinary workshop focused on theories of care. 

After an introduction by Ulla Kriebernegg, Florence Borggrefe’s lecture explored the challenges and possibilities of an “aesthetics of care” and outlined possible directions for future research in the field. Her presentation provided key insights that informed the next day’s workshop discussions. Sonja Rinofner opened the workshop with an introduction to the theoretical and research dimensions of care, followed by an online contribution by Helen Kohlen, who traced the theoretical history of the concept of care and stimulated an interdisciplinary discussion.

The lecture and workshop were organized in collaboration with CIRAC, the Faculty of Humanities the interdisciplinary faculty core research area  "Perception: Episteme, Aesthetics, Politics", the research cluster “Aging, Demography & Care” within the research network "Heterogeneity and Cohesion" at the University of Graz, the  Research Center for Aesthetics at the Zurich University of the Arts, and the  Institute for Theater, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna.

Lecture "Ästhetik der Fürsorge": Florence Borggrefe (Züricher Hochschule der Künste and Visiting Scholar at CIRAC)
17 Oktober 2024, 18.00, SR 67.01, Center for Continuing Education

Workshop "Care Theories"
18 October 2024, 10.00–15.00, SR 67.01 Center for Continuing Education