Three Contributions of Anthropology to the Understanding of Health Issues Related to Ageing: Emic Conceptions of « Ageing Well », Mental Health of Caregivers, and the Social Experience of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract (English)

In the face of ageing populations worldwide, anthropology offers original and indispensable insights to better understand a plurality of health issues involved. Based on a multi-year field study in French Polynesia (Oceania, 2021-2025), this paper presents three possible applications of this long-term field study approach. The first underlines the value of empirical and qualitative methods for grasping emic conceptions of ageing well at work according to social contexts (1). The second focuses on identifying the social factors influencing the mental health of family carers involved in supporting an elderly (grand)parent, particularly in the context of multi-generational family cohabitation (2). Finally, the third looks at how participatory research with people affected by Alzheimer's disease and neuro-evolutionary diseases associated with advancing age can be a lever for improving medico-social care, on a local scale (3). These three approaches articulate complementary levels of analysis. They underline the importance of moving beyond strictly biomedical and demographic interpretations of ageing, by considering the anchoring of health and care practices in specific sociocultural and territorial contexts. By being grounded in fieldwork and the analysis of ordinary lived experiences, anthropology provides heuristic tools to understand how people age, care for others, and cope with illness in later life. This contribution thus aligns with the perspective of a public anthropology of health, attentive to local practices, social inequalities, and the effects of public policy on people experiencing ageing. It also highlights the relevance of ethnographic approaches and participatory research for addressing such issues in contemporary societies.