'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns

By discussing the aging disorder progeria as depicted in the HBO documentary Life According to Sam, “this paper argues that extraordinary forms of aging allow us to gain new insights into the cultural construction of age. The paper explores the ways in which age is culturally constructed through phy...

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Main Author: Julia Velten
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Regensburg: Current objectives in postgraduate American studies c/o Universität Regensburg/Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 2017-07-01
Series:Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies
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Online Access:https://copas.uni-regensburg.de/index.php/copas/article/view/278
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author Julia Velten
author_facet Julia Velten
author_sort Julia Velten
collection DOAJ
description By discussing the aging disorder progeria as depicted in the HBO documentary Life According to Sam, “this paper argues that extraordinary forms of aging allow us to gain new insights into the cultural construction of age. The paper explores the ways in which age is culturally constructed through physical and behavioral aspects. The condition of progeria, puts individuals in between these categories, providing an angle to look at the way subcategories of age influence a person’s perception about age and aging in a given social context. Moreover, the essay connects methods from age studies as well as disability studies and suggests a dialogue between the two fields. Progeria, causing the body to age at a tremendously accelerated rate, serves as a suitable point of inquiry. On the one hand, it is an aging disorder at the junction between disability and age while, on the other, it challenges normative assumptions of age and aging by juxtaposing different subcategories of age within a single individual.
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issn 1861-6127
language English
publishDate 2017-07-01
publisher Regensburg: Current objectives in postgraduate American studies c/o Universität Regensburg/Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
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spelling doaj-art-a75ea9d2d51f4a0497217bd977e90b152024-11-14T19:51:33ZengRegensburg: Current objectives in postgraduate American studies c/o Universität Regensburg/Institut für Anglistik und AmerikanistikCurrent Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies1861-61272017-07-0118110.5283/copas.278'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam BernsJulia Velten0Johannes Gutenberg Universität MainzBy discussing the aging disorder progeria as depicted in the HBO documentary Life According to Sam, “this paper argues that extraordinary forms of aging allow us to gain new insights into the cultural construction of age. The paper explores the ways in which age is culturally constructed through physical and behavioral aspects. The condition of progeria, puts individuals in between these categories, providing an angle to look at the way subcategories of age influence a person’s perception about age and aging in a given social context. Moreover, the essay connects methods from age studies as well as disability studies and suggests a dialogue between the two fields. Progeria, causing the body to age at a tremendously accelerated rate, serves as a suitable point of inquiry. On the one hand, it is an aging disorder at the junction between disability and age while, on the other, it challenges normative assumptions of age and aging by juxtaposing different subcategories of age within a single individual.https://copas.uni-regensburg.de/index.php/copas/article/view/278ProgeriaAge StudiesDisability StudiesDocumentary FilmCultural Constructions of AgeExtreme Aging
spellingShingle Julia Velten
'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies
Progeria
Age Studies
Disability Studies
Documentary Film
Cultural Constructions of Age
Extreme Aging
title 'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
title_full 'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
title_fullStr 'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
title_full_unstemmed 'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
title_short 'Extreme Forms of Aging:' The Case of Sam Berns
title_sort extreme forms of aging the case of sam berns
topic Progeria
Age Studies
Disability Studies
Documentary Film
Cultural Constructions of Age
Extreme Aging
url https://copas.uni-regensburg.de/index.php/copas/article/view/278
work_keys_str_mv AT juliavelten extremeformsofagingthecaseofsamberns