Keynotes at the 11th IOS Annual Conference “Getting Old in Eastern Europe”

27 June 2024, Leibniz IOS, Regensburg

The 11th Annual Conference of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies will feature two captivating keynote lectures that promise to inspire and help us reflect on the conference theme “Getting Old in Eastern Europe. Social, Political and Economic Dimensions of Ageing in the Past and Present”.

The first keynote will be given by Eduard Jongstra from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Istanbul and is entitled “From Demographic Security to Demographic Resilience”. His lecture reflects on the demographic anxieties that pervade the Western Balkans region, from the perspective of a demographer and UNFPA development professional. Eduard Jongstra will highlight key demographic features, typical government responses in this regard, and describe the nascence of a methodical response by UNFPA to assist governments in addressing the (perceived) demographic challenges: the Demographic Resilience approach, which centres around the concept of human capital.

The second keynote with the title “The Restless Generation: Soviet Retirees and the Meanings of Active Old Age” will be held by Alissa Klots from the University of Pittsburgh. Her lecture focusses on the universal pension system introduced by Nikita Khrushchev between 1956 and 1964 – a system that created the first mass generation of Soviet retirees. To encourage pensioners’ continuous engagement with the socialist project, the official discourse offered them a new, socialist vision of old age. A model Soviet retiree was not to rest, but to volunteer as a member of one of the numerous public organizations. Alissa Klots’ talk will examine the Soviet vision of active old age as an entry point into the discussion about socialist ideology and the meanings of successful aging.

Date: 27 June 2024, 17.15-19.30

Venue: Leibniz IOS, Room 319, Landshuter Str. 4, 93047 Regensburg

More information about the conference you can find here.