Lecture | CMGI Brown Bag Seminar
UnToLD: Unraveling cultural historical dimensions of contemporary experiences of tiredness of life among older adults
- Stefanie Meul
- Date
- Monday 12 May 2025
- Time
- Serie
- CMGI Brown Bag Seminars 2024-2025
- Address
-
Johan Huizinga
Doelensteeg 16
2311 VL Leiden - Room
- Conference room (2.60)
The notion of being ‘tired of life’ has become an increasingly prominent topic in media discourse and in social, political, medical, and ethical debates. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the phenomenon is often closely linked to discussions on euthanasia and is frequently perceived as a recent development. Yet, to what extent is this perception accurate? Who are these older individuals experiencing tiredness of life, and what are their stories?
KU Leuven's interdisciplinary project UnToLD (Unraveling Tiredness of Life Dimensions) seeks to address these questions by examining the intricate and multifaceted nature of the phenomenon. Tiredness of life seems shaped by both deeply personal experiences and collectively shared cultural perspectives on aging, suffering, and mortality. The research team approaches the topic from ethical, psychological, cultural-historical, and pharmacological perspectives. The lived experiences of nursing home residents currently struggling with life lie at the heart of this research.
The historical segment of the project aims to highlight prevailing cultural notions of old age and their dissemination in Belgian society since 1945, and examine how these ideas resonate in the contemporary experiences of loss among older individuals. In this talk, she will elucidate how the historical dimension is unfolding within the UnToLD project. To this end, sge will illustrate how the integration of diverse historical sources and methodological approaches creates a contemporary history of tiredness of life. Thus, she hopes to demonstrate the unique contributions of historical research within interdisciplinary projects addressing complex contemporary challenges.