Narrative and Aging - The Social Construction of Grandparenting: A Foucauldian Analysis

Due to the mounting significance of current research in the areas of family and aging, the article investigates the particular relationship between old age and family life by means of studying the role of grand-parenting and the way it is perceived by the elderly, the family, and the public at large. The study applies a narrative approach; hence, telling the meaning of the family and grand-parenting through personal stories and public discourse, based on the theory of Michel Foucault. The findings put forth suggest that identities of family and grand-parenting are built on multiple grounds, and that therefore theory should be sensitized accordingly, as identities are managed at different levels, for different audiences and at different levels of attentiveness and understanding.