Managing everyday (in)securities: normative values, emotional security and symbolic recognition in the lives of Russian rural elders

Kay, R. (2012) Managing everyday (in)securities: normative values, emotional security and symbolic recognition in the lives of Russian rural elders. Journal of Rural Studies, 28(2), pp. 63-71. (doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.01.018)

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Abstract

Qualitative studies of ageing have called for attention to be paid to the diverse experiences of older people and to their agency in negotiating opportunities and constraints. A lack of research into the experiences and subjectivities of rural elders has been noted. Yet, the majority of research concerning elderly people in contemporary Russia continues to treat old age as a category and focus on particular practical and material forms of assistance available to pensioners. This article, aims to contribute to the small but growing body of ethnographic studies which shed light on the lives of elderly people in Russia as subjects in their own right. Based on ethnographic fieldwork from rural Siberia, the article explores the ways in which elderly people experience and interpret day-to-day (in)securities, forms of care and social support. In doing so the article explores three key questions: Firstly, how do lived realities, both past and present, and normative values of rural life intersect in elderly people's experiences of (in)security in post-socialist contexts?; Secondly, what forms of assistance do older people view as legitimate in their everyday lives? In particular, how are emotional exchanges and interpersonal connections interpreted and what securities do they bring?; Thirdly, what is the significance of symbolic support and recognition for elderly people and how do these draw on practices and frameworks from the socialist past?

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kay, Professor Rebecca
Authors: Kay, R.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
Journal Name:Journal of Rural Studies
ISSN:0743-0167
Published Online:18 February 2012

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
504471Social Security, Care and the 'Withdrawing State' in Rural Russia: a case study from Altai KraiRebecca KayBritish Academy (BRIT-ACAD)SG-51772Central and East European Studies
424961Centre for Russian, Central and East European StudiesRichard BerryEconomic & Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/D005019/1SPS - CENTRAL & EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES