Anne Leonora Blaakilde, Gabriella Nilsson (ed.)
Nordic Seniors on the Move. Mobility and Migration in Later Life
Lund Studies in Arts and Cultural Sciences 4
2013 | 228 p. | English

ISSN: 2001-7529
ISBN: 978-91-981458-0-9

”I believe that all people need to move about. Actually, some have difficulties in doing so. They stay in their home neighbourhoods where they’ve grown up and feel safe. I can understand that, but my wife and I, we didn’t want that. We are more open to new ideas.”

This anthology is about seniors on the move. In seven chapters, Nordic researchers from various disciplines, by means of ethnographic methods, attempt to comprehend the phenomenon of Nordic seniors who move to leisure areas in their own or in other countries. The number of people involved in this kind of migratory movement has grown considerably within the last 20 years. Costa del Sol, along the Mediterranean coastline and Österlen in Southern Sweden are two examples of locations that have become attractive to lifestyle migrants. The warmer climate and the expectations of a certain quality of life are recurrent pull factors. The quote above gives voice to one of these seniors, stressing the necessity of moving.

The anthology contributes to the international body of literature about later life migration, specifically representing experiences made by Nordic seniors. As shown here, mobility and migration in later life have implications for identities, traditions, feelings of belonging, family and friends, health, images of old age, societal planning and policies, and even for religious attachment. The book presents a joint statement, intended for international scholars in the field, but also for Nordic policymakers and practitioners involved in the daily life and needs of the people who move in later life.

The editors Anne Leonora Blaakilde and Gabriella Nilsson are both ethnologists affiliated with the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University, Sweden, respectively.