“And then I’ll have a good time, enjoy the days and drink the wine”: alcohol consumption in later life as a material-discursive practice
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Abstract
Pleasure is a neglected topic in ageing research, particularly when it comes to activities that are deemed as unhealthy and/or immoral, such as alcohol consumption. In this article, I explore the question how – that is, in which discursive-material practices and arrangements – alcohol is consumed throughout the retirement transition. To analyse alcohol consumption as a material-discursive practices, I draw on empirical material from a qualitative longitudinal study, comprising interview and photo diaries and following 30 older adults through their retirement transition. Based on this material, I discuss five categories of elements that constitute drinking practice assemblages: (1) things and spaces, (2) people, (3) temporalities, (4) discourses, and (5) bodies. Across those elements, research participants drew boundaries between positive, responsible and negative, irresponsible alcohol consumption. These boundaries, however, were different than those drawn by experts: While the latter tend to differentiate based on the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, the former draw boundaries based on quality, i.e. the “how” of alcohol consumption. I conclude by arguing how approaching alcohol consumption from a material gerontology perspective can enhance our understanding of alcohol consumption as “multiple” and an embedded, situated practice with blurry boundaries between problematic and pleasurable use.
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