Perspectives on vulnerability from the narratives of older migrants

Abstract

Background Older migrants are considered a vulnerable population group in many ways. Marginalization and social exclusion lead to unequal opportunities for social participation. Aim In order to break down barriers for older migrants, the perspectives of people with migration biographies should be given greater consideration. Material and methods To this end, the results of an explorative intersectional ethical analysis of care narratives of older migrants are discussed in the light of aging studies research. The focus is on the ethical analysis of five guided interviews with older migrants between 65 and 80 years old, who have migrated from different countries in southeastern Europe. Results and discussion In contrast to the prevalent expert perspective, the narratives of the older migrants interviewed revealed not only resistance to vulnerabilization but also multiple negotiations of autonomy and dependency. By making ambivalent narrative and action strategies visible and linking them to narratives of intergenerational care relationships, the significance of care-ethical interpretations of vulnerability and characterization of vulnerability as “a universal, inevitable, and anthropological feature of humanity resulting from the embodied, finite, and socially contingent structure of human existence” [4] can be demonstrated.