Aging and Social Change: Sixteenth Interdisciplinary Conference, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
15th to 16th October 2026
Antalya, Turkey
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CALL FOR PAPERS
https://agingandsocialchange.com/2026-conference/call-for-papers
Place: Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey + Online
Format: In-Person (Location) and Online (Asynchronous Content)
Dates: 15-16 October 2026
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PLENARY SPEAKERS
Gloria Gutman, Professor and Director Emerita, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Prof. Dr. Ismail Tufan, Founding Chair of Gerontology Departments, Akdeniz University and Mus Alparslan University, President of National Social and Applied Gerontology Association, Turkey
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SPECIAL FOCUS: Demographic Futures: Political Adaptations and Social Transformations
Assessing the economic security of current and future generations in old age requires a comprehensive life-course approach. Various interrelated factors - social, economic, and health-related - shape individuals' lives over time and complicate efforts to evaluate future outcomes. In many countries, the complexity of pension systems limits the ability to make definitive projections about the economic well-being of future retirees. However, recent structural reforms across different regions suggest that future retirement incomes will differ significantly in both composition and adequacy from those of today's older adults.
Old age must increasingly be understood as a political and social challenge. As demographic shifts reshape the age composition of populations, welfare states may need to reconfigure their age-based frameworks, rethinking how societies define solidarity, responsibility, and justice across generations. In the context of shrinking working-age populations and macroeconomic constraints, socially regulated employment systems face urgent questions about sustainability and fairness. New generations are likely to be fewer in number, which amplifies the pressure on public systems and calls for innovative models of intergenerational balance.
These demographic transitions impact a wide range of social domains: labor markets, retirement policies, healthcare and caregiving systems, family structures, social networks, and civic participation. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated policy responses that promote both inter- and intra-generational equity.
While old age is not synonymous with dependency, the prevalence of chronic illness, disability, and functional decline increases with age, raising the importance of care infrastructures that uphold dignity and autonomy. Globally, the care sector is undergoing a slow but necessary process of professionalization. This evolution calls for new frameworks of evaluation - particularly those grounded in ethics, equity, and social accountability - beyond conventional indicators of workforce development.
Care environments for aging populations must move toward more individualized, person-centered models. Yet across diverse national contexts, many systems remain fragmented or under-resourced, with gaps at the intersections of medical, social, and familial care arrangements. At the same time, promising new approaches are emerging around the world - ranging from dementia care innovations and age-friendly community programs to lifelong learning institutions for older adults.
This international dialogue will be hosted in Turkey, a country that both reflects these global challenges and serves as a site of experimentation in gerontological practice and policy. The conference offers an opportunity to exchange cross-national insights, share institutional innovations, and collaboratively reimagine the social contract across generations.
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CONFERENCE THEMES
Theme 1: Economic and Demographic Perspectives on Aging
Theme 2: Public Policy and Public Perspectives on Aging
Theme 3: Medical Perspectives on Aging, Health, Wellness
Theme 4: Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
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JOURNAL
The Journal of Aging and Social Change is an international journal for aging research.
Serial Founded: 2018
ISSN: 2576-5310 (Print) ISSN: 2576-5329 (Online)
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/2018201125
DOI: http://doi.org/10.18848/2576-5310/CGP
Publication Frequency: Biannually
Indexing: Psychology (Cabell's), Sociology (Cabell's), SocINDEX (EBSCO), SocINDEX with Full Text (EBSCO), Sociology Source International (EBSCO), The Australian Research Council (ARC), Web of Science Emerging Sources (Clarivate) (ProQuest), Scopus (Elsevier), STM Source (EBSCO), The Australian Research Council (ARC), Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
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ABOUT US
Founded in 2011, the Aging & Social Change Research Network is a forum for discussion of challenges and opportunities for a rapidly growing segment of the population worldwide. The process of aging is a concern for individuals, families, communities, and nations. The social context of aging provides a rich background for community dialogue on this, one of the critical questions of our time. We aim to traverse a broad terrain, sometimes technically and other times socially oriented, sometimes theoretical and other times practical in their perspective, and sometimes reflecting dispassionate analysis while at other times suggesting interested strategies for action. Our aim is to build an epistemic community where we can make linkages across disciplinary, geographic, and cultural boundaries. As a Research Network, we are defined by our scope and concerns and motivated to build strategies for action framed by our shared themes and tensions.
https://agingandsocialchange.com/about
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RELATED CONFERENCES
We also offer related thematic events in our other Research Networks that you might be able to attend in-person. This way we build for our Research Network Members flexible, and at the same time resilient, spaces for communication, engagement, and participation.
View other Common Ground Research Networks conferences:
https://cgnetworks.org/conferences/conference-calendar
Enquiries: support@cgnetworks.org
Web address: https://agingandsocialchange.com/2026-conference
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