1. Bill
Bytheway (Senior Research Fellow,
Open University, UK) has carried out research into
various aspects of social gerontology within the
framework of research projects such as RoAD (Research
on Age Discrimination), 2004-2006, Birthdays (The
Social and Personal Significance of Birthdays in
Adult Life), 2004-2005, and TEA (Taking Advantage of
Experience), 2002-2003. He is the author, with J.
Johnson, of “Cataloguing old age” (Andrews,
G.J. and Phillips, D.R. eds. Ageing and Place,
Routledge) and of “Ageism and age
categorisation” (Special Edition of the Journal
of Social Issues).
2. Tom
Kirkwood (Professor of Medicine,
School of Clinical Medical Sciences –
Gerontology, University of Newcastle and Director of
the Institute for Ageing and Health in the Henry
Wellcome Laboratory for Biogerontology Research at
Newcastle General Hospital) is the 2001 Reith
Lecturer who gave a series of lectures entitled:
“The End of Age.” Among his publications on
ageing are Chance, Development and Ageing
(OUP, 2000) (with Caleb Finch), The End of Age
(Profile, 2001), and Time of Our Lives: The
Science of Human Ageing, (OUP, 2002). Tom
Kirkwood takes a broad interest in diverse
representations of the experience of ageing and in
2002 the Royal Institution awarded him the first
Henry Dale Prize for multidisciplinary research.
3. Roberta
Maierhofer (Associate Professor,
Institute for American Studies, University of Graz,
Austria) is an Americanist whose field of research
includes the relationship between cultural ageing and
biological ageing within the society of the United
States of America. Among her forthcoming
publications, with Heike Hartung (Ernst Moritz Arndt
Universität Greifswald, Germany), are
“Narratives of Life: Ageing and Identity” (
Journal of Ageing, Humanities, and the Arts. 1. 3
& 4, July 2007). Professor Maierhofer is
currently Vice Rector for International Relations and
Interdisciplinary Cooperation at the University of
Graz.
4. Tavengwa
M. Nhongo (Regional Director, HelpAge
International) is the regional representative for
Africa for HelpAge International. With a BA and
Masters Degree in Social Work, Tavwngwa Nhongo has
specialised in marketing and the running of NGOs. He
is the author of numerous works on gerontological
matters in Africa, among them "Research for
practice and development in Africa" (Southern
African Journal of Gerontology 9.2, 2000:1-5)
and The image of a witch. (2000). For his
PhD thesis, Tavengwa Nhongo researched and wrote on
"The conflict between traditional and legal
systems of inheritance after the death of a spouse
among black people of Zimbabwe." Since 1988,
from his base in Kenya, Tavengwa Nhongo has carried
our research in many areas of Africa and has
organised and presented papers on ageing in Africa in
many parts of the world. Promotor and facilitator of
ageing policies throughout Africa, he is a
contributor to the African Union's Policy Framework
and Plan of Action on Ageing.
5. Rosa
Regàs (Catalan writer) is the
author, amongst other works of fiction, of Ginebra
(1988), Memoria de Almator (1991), Azul
(1994), Viaje a la luz del Cham (1995), Sangre
de mi sangre (1998), Luna lunera (1999), a
novel that deals with the consequences of the dying
process on close family members, La canción de
Dorotea (2001), a novel that focuses on the
problems of caring for an elderly relative, and Diario
de una abuela de verano (2004), a diary that
presents the interactions between a grandmother and
her grandchildren in Girona. Rosa Regàs won the
Nadal Prize (1994) for Azul, the City of
Barcelona Prize for Novel in Spanish (1999) for Luna
lunera, the Planeta Prize (2001) for La
canción de Dorotea. In March 2003, she was
awarded the 1st Josep Plà Medal by the Catalan
Association of Journalists and Tourism Writers. Rosa
Regàs has worked as a translator for the World
Health Organisation (WHO) and until recently she has
been Director of Spain’s National Library.
6. Christine
E. Swane is Director and Head
Researcher of EGV Fonden, a humanistic research
oriented foundation working for older people with few
resources. While affiliated to the Danish Institute
of Gerontology, Christine Swane convened the first of
the International Symposia on Cultural Gerontolgy.
With the theme "Everyday Life, Life Story and
Ageing," the 1st International Symposium on
Cultural Gerontology took place in Gentofte (Denmark)
in May 1997. Over many years, Christine Swane has
published numerous works that have focused in
particular on the care of elderly people with
diseases frequently associated with old age such as
Alzheimer's and dementia. Her most recent work has
looked at the experience of getting cancer in old
age. Dr. Swane has also participated in projects that
look into the health of carers of people with
Alzheimer's disease and other disorders.
Symposium Organising Committee:
Nela Bureu Ramos, Núria Casado Gual, Emma
Domínguez Rué, Carme Farré Vidal, Marta Miquel
Baldellou, Maria O’Neill, Maricel Oró Piqueras,
Elena Pérez Serrano, Isabel Santaulària Capdevila,
Maria Vidal Grau, Brian Worsfold, Carmen Zamorano
Llena
Contact address:
Departament d’Anglès i
Lingüística,
Plaça de Víctor Siurana, 1
Tel: +34 973 702 144 / 973 703 189
/ 973 703 172
More
information (registration fees, accommodation, etc.):
soon at http://web.udl.cat/dept/dal/cultgero/index.htm
