Tracing the marks of age-based discrimination in the everyday life practices of older adults: The case of Kadıköy, Istanbul

This thesis was conducted between 2020 and 2023 in Kadıköy District of Istanbul metropolis. It is based on interviews with people over the age of 65, who are chronologically considered "elderly", and the researcher's observations. It focuses on the age-based discrimination experiences of older adults living in the metropolis and older adults' perceptions of the elderly. In the study, 40 participants aged 65 and over were interviewed and snowball method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used. The attitudes, discursive and everyday practices of older adults towards old age were observed. The concepts of "old age", "body", "respect", "value", which are the themes of the conceptual discussion, were opened to discussion in the study. Due to both the timing of the study and its focus on age-based discrimination, the Covid-19 pandemic period that started in 2020 and the related restrictions and experiences of older adults were included. On the other hand, issues such as the way older adults dress in everyday life practices, the differences between their own old age and the old age of their ancestors, and the changing face of gender-specific roles in old age are discussed. In the context of age-based discrimination, the role of the body in the aging process and the relations of older adults with technology were analysed. The study also focuses on the perceptions of death and time in modern times, Cartesian thought, the authority of medicine, the concepts of idleness and wisdom, and the problematic of "euthanasia", which came to the fore during the field phase, was tried to be interpreted within the context of the study. In the study, many concepts that constitute the problematic of the thesis were reinterpreted. Among all these themes, an effort has been made to understand the social, cultural and individual dimensions of the concept of old age by tracing age-based discrimination, mentioning the ontological importance of the value attributed to old age and aiming to contribute to the art of aging. Rapid technological changes in developed societies after the industrialisation period have led to differentiated values and lifestyles among individuals. According to the argument of this thesis, age-based discrimination has emerged as a result of technological and cultural transformations in modern societies and has affected the life experiences of older individuals. In this context, this study aims to understand older adults' experiences of age discrimination and their perceptions of old age by analysing the relationship between age discrimination and these changing social dynamics.