Annotated bibliography – Transgenerational Research on Environmental Relationships and Aging

During the last decade, feelings of urgency and alienation from the social have been commonly expressed by cultural studies scholars, relaying a fear that society is no longer present in research. As a counter-argument, some scholars have expressed a wish to position theoretical considerations back to the centre of attention.

Finnish soundscape researchers have already for 15 years been studying the lived change of soundscapes, i.e., the ways in which groups and individuals have experienced and reflected upon transformations in their sonic environments. Nowadays, the methods developed in sound studies are more and more applied and expanded to study the broader scope of sensory transformation.

Our long-term follow-up studies have addressed the construction, ways of experiencing, and meaningfulness of sound, place and spatialities. As a result, it is very clear that the praxis of research, its themes and perspectives, change through the time. My interest in compiling this particular annotated bibliography project comes from the fact that I am convinced that more attention should be paid to aging and environmental relationships in today’s world.

Through the studies of my earlier soundscape research groups, we have scrutinized the lived space of children and young people in European localities. A logical next step will be to broaden it up towards intergenerational or even trans-generational study on the means and possibilities of maintaining and constructing multifaceted interaction with the living environments of young and aged. The participatory approach and creative uses of technology and – or – art are the particular emphasizes here.

Download the annotated bibliography:

PDF version (314 KB)
Word version (48 KB)

Readers are encouraged to expand and contribute to the bibliography, and can email their suggestions to info@actproject.ca