The International Network for Critical Gerontology brings together international scholars and graduate students interested in critical approaches to the study of aging and late life. Based at University of Toronto in Canada, this virtual network links international scholars from various disciplinary perspectives in the humanities and social sciences. It provides a forum to consider contemporary issues in social/cultural gerontology, reflect on theoretical and conceptual questions in the field, and discuss new insights and developments.
The network received funding in 2008 from the International Opportunities Fund of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Brought together by a shared commitment to rethinking the study of aging, the original network was comprised of researchers from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States of America. In 2009, an initial meeting was held at Keele University to discuss contemporary issues. Since then, the group has collaborated on symposia at international gerontology conferences and publications in edited collections.
In 2013, ongoing inquiries about the status of the group led to a decision to launch a website and blog as a means of sharing information and linking international scholars working from critical perspectives. It seemed that students and researchers alike were looking for a means to connect around conceptual and theoretical debates in social and cultural gerontology. This website and blog is an attempt to open the space for dialogue on critical perspectives on the study of aging and late life. The site is moderated by Amanda Grenier at the University of Toronto.