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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Vulnerability and resilience of older people in Kwahu, Ghana: Exploring the whims of reciprocity
| Panel |
39. Livelihood, Vulnerability and Health. Moving beyond existing frameworks
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| Paper ID | 259 |
| Author(s) |
Geest, Sjaak van der
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| Paper |
View paper (PDF)
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| Abstract | Anthropological research among older people in a rural town of Ghana brought out two concepts that epitomized their main concerns: respect and reciprocity. 'Respect' takes different meanings in different life situations, from outward deference to deep personal affection. According to people I talked to, the hidden principle that determines the type of respect is reciprocity. The quality of relationships between young and old depends on what the older generation long ago invested in the younger. Life is a bank account; you receive what you put into it.
My observations and my conversations with older people largely confirmed this 'iron law' of old age security. In this paper, however, I intend to look more deeply into cases that seem to contradict the rules of reciprocity: extreme poverty or loneliness in spite of life-long investments and, vice-versa, undeserved security and wellbeing. Examining people's perceptions of good ageing helps to reach a more nuanced understanding of reciprocity and to see vulnerability and resilience in a local perspective.
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