Emancipation in Old Age—A Working Definition and its Challenges

Since the early development of critical gerontology, scholars have recognized the importance of the concept of emancipatory gerontology. In recent years, references to emancipation within gerontological discourse have increased substantially. This growing attention is partly attributable to the rising prominence of emancipatory and participatory research paradigms across the social sciences more broadly. However, a close reading of much of the academic literature in this field suggests that an important element is missing. As this commentary argues, many scholars invoke the concept of "emancipation" in gerontological research as though its meaning were self-evident, without offering a clear definition or explicitly situating their usage within an established theoretical framework. In light of this conceptual ambiguity, this viewpoint seeks to address this gap through a three-stage process. First, it outlines the general meaning of the term "emancipation" and proposes a preliminary working definition of "emancipation in old age." Second, it examines the key elements of this working definition as they are reflected in selected examples of existing gerontological research. Finally, it outlines potential next steps for advancing the conceptual development of "emancipation in old age" as a coherent, comprehensible, and potentially open to future operationalization.