Let us know what you think! Two proposals regarding AgeNet future

Following the initial talks that we have had during the AgeNet meeting at EASA2026 in Poznan, we – the outgoing AgeNet Convenors, Francesco Diodati, Lubica L’ubica and Christine Verbruggen – are now opening a discussion of two proposals concerning the future of AgeNet. These proposals are:

1. to expand the thematic focus of the network and thus also change the networks’ name, and 
2.  to establish an AgeNet Advisory Board. 

We invite all members – particularly those who could not attend the meeting –  to share their views on these issues over the coming month (until 20 September, 2026). At the end of this consultation period, we will summarize the discussion to then pass it on to the incoming convenors (The call for AgeNet convenors is open until 20 September). The incoming convenors, who will be elected over the next month, will take the relevant issues into account as they consider the next steps in the development of AgeNet. 

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and thank you in advance for taking the time to think with us about the network’s future.

Warmly,
The AgeNet Convenors

 TWO PROPOSALS for the future of AgeNet

1. Broadening AgeNet’s focus to include care

The EASA 2026 conference has shown that care has become an increasingly prominent topic across EASA, and that also a growing number of AgeNet members are working on questions of care, sometimes moving beyond ageing as their primary focus. At the same time, EASA currently has no network specifically dedicated to care. Taking these two elements together, we, as convenors, discussed whether it would be good for AgeNet to broaden its focus to include care, and potentially reflect this in a change to the network’s name.We considered this could make the network more inclusive of existing members’ work beyond a focus on ageing and generations, while also opening up the network to new members and forms of participation.  

At the same time, we recognise that an expansion of the network’s thematic focus raises important issues for our sub-discipline: what is distinctive about an anthropology of ageing?How can we better address inter- and cross-generational questions? What might be gained or lost by bringing ageing and care together, or by keeping the network’s focus open? Additionally – a concern that has been with the network for a while – how can we better address inter- and cross-generational questions to consider ageing processes beyond ‘the aged’? 

The discussion during the AgeNet meeting in Poznań showed that there are different views on this question. Some members were open to broadening the focus, stressing, for example, that generations cannot be thought without care, and care without generations. They also highlighted that their informal conversations with non-AgeNet members during the conference suggested that a more explicit focus on care could attract scholars who are not primarily working in ageing studies. Other AgeNet members participating in the meeting were more cautious or strongly opposed to the idea, concerned that such a shift might narrow the focus of ageing to care, perhaps reaffirming hegemonic imaginaries of old age as coinciding with dependency, and excluding non-care-specific sites, practices, affects, and relations. On the other hand, they highlighted the danger of eroding a specific space for ageing studies within EASA. Some of these members would nevertheless welcome a reading group or smaller working group on care within AgeNet, without changing the network’s name or core focus (the argument was made that AgeNet already leaves space for engaging with care). There was also some concern that expanding the network’s focus and changing the name simply because care is currently a popular topic could be trend-driven rather than conceptually grounded.

We would therefore particularly welcome your thoughts on whether AgeNet should shift its focus to include care, and whether this should be reflected in a change to the network’s name.

2. Establishing an AgeNet Advisory Board

The second proposal concerns the establishment of an AgeNet Advisory Board.

So far, AgeNet has relied largely on the biannual rotation of convenors, with outgoing convenors often continuing to support new teams informally. In this context,  former convenors often offered on the call support, for example, helping with administrative procedures, negotiating with EASA Exec and NomadIT staff on behalf of the convenors, sharing their own experiences with network funding applications or the organisation of network events. They also covered temporary gaps in the network’s functioning, and assisted with technical transitions, including the most recent AgeNet website overhaul. This support has been invaluable, but it has largely taken place on an ad hoc basis without explicit acknowledgment or a transparent structure. 

We therefore propose formalising this role through an Advisory Board. The Board would consist of two AgeNet members who at some point in the past served as AgeNet convenors (currently this is a pool of 9 people). The Board would NOT constitute a continuation of previous leadership and would have no decision-making or steering role. Rather, it would be available only on the call to provide advice, institutional memory, and practical support to the current convenors, particularly during transitions and organisational challenges. The leadership and decision-making of the network, as well as the major part of the workload would remain fully with the current convenors.

Members of the Board would be proposed jointly by outgoing and incoming convenors, based on their willingness, capacity, and relevant experience, and confirmed through a vote by the membership. To ensure rotation and openness, members would serve a maximum of two mandates of two years each.

These are two separate proposals: you may support one, both, or neither. Although they are in some ways connected, we would like to hear your views on each independently.