Our research is organized in five focus areas. Based on approaches from the humanities, social sciences and cultural studies, questions of cultural representation and the social construction of age(ing) and images of aging and old age are addressed, as are questions of the (gender-)equitable, democratic organization of care. The areas of demography, dementia research, (palliative) care and medical ethics and end-of-life care are also examined and placed in an inter- and transdisciplinary research context with the other universities in Graz as well as the general public and national and international partner institutions.
Our Research Focus Areas
In our research, we focus on the lived experiences of older people and their care networks, which are influenced by technological developments. We address the influence of technology on the social discourse on aging.
The way we experience age(ing) is culturally constructed. Research at CIRAC aims to deconstruct images, stereotypes and narratives of age(ing) through the analysis of media, film and literature.
Health humanities look at concepts such as health, illness, disability and care from a humanities perspective. Narrative medicine enables practitioners and researchers to expand their methodological repertoire to include experiences and insights from the humanities.
A caring society requires spaces and places to reflect on the conditions for a good life in old age and to struggle for a just and democratic organization of care (Tronto 2013). It is essential to reflect on the existential questions of aging, care, and death and dying with regard to their political conditions and to discuss questions of systemic change in care structures.
The social organization of care is shaped by social networks of relationships and their embedding in the respective cultural, organizational, political, but also spatial and natural environments. The health opportunities and the way we are able to care for each other in crisis situations, in old age and at the end of life, depend to a large extent on how and where we live.
Our dissertations
Ongoing dissertation projects
Age and Care in Recent North American Graphic Novels
Wilma Seitinger
Since 2010, several graphic memoirs have been published which deal with age, aging and caring for close relatives. They offer dense and immediate depictions of these issues and thus provide a rich body of images, texts, and their interplay. How is old age represented in these graphic memoirs, both on a visual and textual level, and in the interplay of the two? How are care situations and relationships depicted in the graphic memoirs and how do the authors/artists, who write and draw from an autobiographical perspective, represent and reflect on their roles as caregivers to their old close relatives?
Age(ing) in contemporary Austrian literature
As part of my dissertation, I am examining contemporary works of Austrian literature with regard to their representation of age(ing). In the course of this, a critical examination of age stereotypes will take place in order to enable a new perspective on old age.
On trust in dying - The significance of trust for philosophical practice in existential crises
In the context of existential crises, philosophy finds a meaningful application in the form of philosophical practice. However, this is only the case if a relationship of trust is established between the practitioner and the person affected. The philosophical examination of this thesis in my dissertation is intended to provide information on the conditions, limits and possibilities of philosophical practice.
Keywords: philosophy, philosophical practice, trust, dying, death, grief, existence
The Invisible Illness: Endometriosis as a Case Study of the Social Discourse Surrounding Menstruation
Approaching endometriosis from a health humanities perspective, this dissertation illustrates the influence of gender bias and cultural myths on the healthcare people suffering from endometriosis receive. Looking at patient narratives and comparing them to mainstream medical discourse, the work explores the connections between gender, age, and the stigma surrounding menstruation in terms of how endometriosis is being treated within the healthcare system.
Keywords: health humanities, endometriosis, gender, culture, menstruation
Completed dissertations
Human Ascension and Its Perils - Transhumanism and Class in 21st Century Literature and Film
In my dissertation, I examine the role and effects of transhumanist technologies on individuals and societies through contemporary literary works, film and television. I pay special attention to a contextualization of the topic with the philosophy of "transhumanists" as well as to the effects of such developments on already existing class structures. In particular, the topics of media & sensory perception, aging and economy will be examined under these aspects.
Keywords: Transhumanism, Marxism, Aging Studies, Science Fiction
Health literacy of elderly migrants in Graz as reflected in two ethical theories
As part of my dissertation, I deal with old and very old migrants in Graz and their health experience, behavior and competence within the Austrian healthcare system. The question of their possible discrimination picks up on findings and questions of age(ing) sciences and analyzes ethical theories against this background.
Keywords: ethics, care, age(ing) and migration, medical ethics, health literacy, dementia
Experiencing Life Through Fiction: Lore Segal's Literary Foodscapes from Childhood to Old Age
My dissertation deals with representations of foodscapes in American literature and the associated discourses. For example, the dissertation examines how food can create space for intergenerational exchange.
Keywords: Foodscape, eating space, intergenerationality, literature, America
The discursive construction of aging identities: A thematic and textual analysis of personal narratives in and outside the nursing home
As part of my dissertation project, I am working on the linguistic analysis of interviews conducted in an English-speaking nursing home based on critical discourse analysis. The focus is on the social and linguistic construction of age(ing).
Keywords: applied linguistics, critical discourse analysis, qualitative research
Looking back: Completed research projects
App-solute news: Intergenerational learning about the effects of digitalization on the everyday action of "reading the newspaper"
Funded by the Province of Styria (A8) as part of the "Future Fund: Effects of digitalization on professional skills development" call for proposals Duration: 1.3.2020 - 30.11.2022, project management: Prof. Mag. Dr. Ulla Kriebernegg
Project website: https: //app-solute-news.uni-graz.at/de/projekt/
COVID-19: Technology, Social Connections, Loneliness, and Leisure Activities: An International Study Protocol
Link to the publication:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2020.574811/full
Who Cares? Rethinking ageing and care together. Interdisciplinary ageing research in Styria
Funded by the Province of Styria (A8) as part of the call for proposals "(Un)Geteilt: Polarities in the knowledge society" (PDMS 7576). Duration: 1.6.2018 - 31.12.2020, project management: Prof. Dr. Ulla Kriebernegg