The Social Production of Space and Age – A French-German Dialogue towards New Theoretical Approaches and Research Pathways

理论、概念和经验数据可以在不同的语言和社会领域之间传播。空间理论如何丰富老龄化，反过来，对老龄化空间的分析如何有助于一般社会学的问题，过去在法国和德国已经从不同的角度进行了探讨。SPAGE项目提出：1)对法国和德国的年龄、空间和社会排斥之间的相互作用进行系统的理论比较，形成一个全面的理论框架。2)然后，我们将对两国之间潜在的社会差异和相似之处的框架进行实证测试；旨在利用它们的协同效应（顺序3）在法兰克福河畔歌德大学（通过“转型”研究小组和“跨学科老龄化研究”工作组的推动）和格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学（通过社会科学实验室PACTE，公共空间老龄化主题正在通过正在进行/新兴的ANR JCJC发展）之间建立一个基于新理论方法和认认论途径的可持续研究网络项目)。与这三个目标相关，项目计划分为三个工作包。在第一个工作包中，我们启动了一个法德概念对话，旨在促进法德两国在年龄、空间和社会排斥研究中使用的理论、概念和认识论途径的交流。在此基础上，通过在两国举办的四个“概念研讨会”，我们制定了一个联合框架。在第二个工作包中，对法国和德国的年龄、空间和社会排斥之间的相互作用进行了系统的实证比较，从而对框架进行了规范。第二个目标是双重的：作为第一步，我们将比较两国各自研究小组/国家正在进行的研究（“数据分析研讨会”）。利用两国之间潜在的相似/差异，与德国和法国的老年参与者在合作伙伴的国家组织比较研讨会，以探索老年人自己如何体验（或不体验）德国和法国研究中观察到的相似/差异（“桥接研讨会”）。第三，SPAGE想要挑战占主导地位的年龄表征，如“年龄友好”、“积极老龄化”或“健康老龄化”。SPAGE将通过连接两位主要研究者的原始研究团队，构建一个关于年龄、空间和排斥的研究网络，提出空间生产中的年龄多样性和年龄实践（残疾老年人/脆弱年龄/年龄和性别/年龄和寿命/迁移经验）的多样性。

Theories, concepts and empirical data can travel between different linguistic and societal spheres. How theories of space enrich ageing and how, in turn, the analyses of the space of ageing can contribute to the questions of general sociology, has been approached from different angles in France and in Germany in the past. The SPAGE project proposes 1) a systematic theoretical comparison of the interplay between age, space, and social exclusion in France and Germany, resulting in a comprehensive theoretical framework. 2) We will then empirically test the framework for potential societal differences and similarities between the two countries, aiming to use their synergy effect in order 3) to create a sustainable research network based on new theoretical approaches and epistemological pathways between Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (through the impulse of the Research Group ‘Doing Transitions’ and the Working Group ‘Interdisciplinary Ageing Research’) and the Université de Grenoble Alpes (through the laboratory of social sciences PACTE where thematic of ageing in public space is developing through ongoing/emerging ANR JCJC projects). Related to the three objectives, the project plan is divided into three work packages. In the first work package, we start a French-German conceptual dialogue aimed at facilitating the exchange of theories, concepts and epistemological pathways used in French and German research on age, space, and social exclusion. On that basis, and facilitated through four “Conceptual workshops” in both countries, we formulate a joint framework. In the second work package, a systematic empirical comparison of the interplay between age, space, and social exclusion in France and Germany leads to a specification of the framework. This second objective is twofold: as a first step, we will compare ongoing research carried out in the respective research groups/countries in both countries (“Data analysis workshops”). Exploiting the potential similarities/differences between the countries, comparative workshops are organized with German and French older participants in the partner’s country to explore how similarities/differences observed in German and French research are experienced (or not) by older adults themselves (“Bridging workshops”). Third, SPAGE wants to challenge the dominant representations of age, such as “age-friendliness”, “active ageing” or “healthy ageing”. By creating a research network on age, space and exclusion through the link between the original research team of both principal investigators, SPAGE would bring forward the multiplicity of age-diversity and age practices (handicapped elderly people/fragile age/age and gender/age and lifespan/ migratory experiences) in the production of space.