Professor Susan Watkins: Ageing, Apocalypse and Adaptation

Why is ageing so often viewed in apocalyptic terms for both individual, society and culture? We can see this in metaphors for ageing like the ‘silver tsunami’ and ‘demographic ticking time bomb’. Why do we associate older people with the past and children with the future? In this talk, Susan Watkins explores how we might challenge these narratives and replace them with ideas about ageing as adaptation. Making use of ideas about adaptation from cultural studies and humanities, the talk will focus on science fiction and fantasy fiction as rich sources for creative alternatives to apocalyptic visions of ageing futures.

Event Venue

Leeds Central Library, Sanderson Room, Calverley Street, Leeds, United Kingdom