Talks by Anna Tarrant
This paper will critically explore men’s practices of displaying their familial and intergenerati... more This paper will critically explore men’s practices of displaying their familial and intergenerational grandfather identities through their personal and material everyday spaces. Existing research implies that identity and family relationships are inherently spatial in nature, yet there is little understanding of how this extends to extra-familial relationships such as those between grandparents and their grandchildren or how these family spaces and identities are mutually constituted. 31 qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted men who are currently grandfathering at their homes, as well as two complementary participant observations of men spending time with their grandchildren. The qualitative data will be presented and analysed through the synthesis of interdisciplinary theories of kinship, intergenerationality and identity. The analysis reveals that the personal social geographies and material objects presented in the men homes are significant for displaying not only their identities as older men, but also the meaning and significance of family, social interactions and intergenerational relationships. It is argued that it is necessary to understand the nature of this ‘display’ (Finch, 2007) of kinship relationships to examine the mutually constituted nature of kinship relations, place and identity and to extend and deepen geographical knowledge of relational, familial identities and intergenerational relationships. In doing this, space can be seen as facilitating and extending family identities and their meaning beyond social interaction.
While there has been a proliferation of interest in fathering and grandparenting in Britain (Clar... more While there has been a proliferation of interest in fathering and grandparenting in Britain (Clarke and Roberts, 2002; Dench and Ogg, 2002), men's roles and identities as grandfathers are insufficiently explored in social science and human geographical literatures (Bates, 2009; Tarrant, 2010a). The marginalisation of studies concerning men's identities alongside a lack of attention to older male identities more generally (Tarrant 2010b) has resulted in inadequate theorisation of the relationships, identities and practices of men who are grandfathers (Mann, 2007). This paper presents qualitative accounts of family interactions and relationships from men who are grandfathers, collected for my doctoral research. 31 men were interviewed indepth and all lived in the UK at the time of interview. The findings reveal the fluid and dynamic nature of contemporary grandfather identities as they are constructed and performed relationally, and are situated and shaped in the context of family life and intergenerational
relationships with children and grandchildren. As a case study, grandfather identities reveal the complex and sometimes contradictory intersections of masculinities and generational
identities, highlighting that they are relational identities that are enacted and performed in family relationships and are also shaped by increasingly flexible family structures.
Journal articles by Anna Tarrant
Area, Jan 1, 2010
In this paper I suggest ways in which a geographical approach to grandparent identities could suc... more In this paper I suggest ways in which a geographical approach to grandparent identities could successfully build upon social geography's understandings of relational geographies of age. In intergenerational geographies, the compartmentalised nature of age studies means that transitions in later stages of the lifecourse, particularly in family life, remain substantially under-researched. The paper draws together established geographical literatures of age, family and lifecourse, and evidence from qualitative interviews conducted over the past 12 months in the UK for ongoing research with grandfathers, to suggest ways in which the discipline might engage with and critique intergenerational geographies to move it forward. In particular there is a focus on spatialities of body space, embodiment and intimacy, activity spaces, and distance and locality.
Geography Compass, Jan 1, 2010
From the early 1990s, the study of men and masculinities and the spatiality of their identities, ... more From the early 1990s, the study of men and masculinities and the spatiality of their identities, has established itself as a significant subfield of critical social geographies. At the same time, geographies of childhood and youth, and to a much lesser extent old age identities, have emerged and become intersected. Recently, it has been suggested that these studies of social markers of difference have reached a critical mass (Hopkins 2008). Upon further exploration however, it is evident that together these literatures have focused more on childhood and young men, neglecting older and ageing men. Curiously, there are few literatures that connect old age and men and masculinities from a spatial perspective. This is not only reflected in social geography literatures but across the social sciences. In this article, I briefly review the subfields of masculinities and age, both within the discipline of geography and elsewhere, and seek to join the currently disconnected literatures to identify older men's age identities as an absent presence in geography. I argue that this will contribute to the maturation of the current literatures of men and masculinities and enhance theoretical understandings of men's power, both in critical social geographies and beyond.
Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts, 2012
Social and Cultural Geography, 2012
This study examines the spatio-temporalities of the intergenerational caring practices that conte... more This study examines the spatio-temporalities of the intergenerational caring practices that contemporary grandfathers engage in with their grandchildren, in order to critique old men’s constructions and performances of ageing masculinities and the gendering and ageing of contemporary carescapes. Findings are based on thirty-one qualitative interviews and two participant observations, conducted in the north-west of England with men who are grandfathers. The concept of carescapes (Bowlby, Gregory and McKie 1997) is employed to explain that grandfathering is both spatially and temporally organized. Findings suggest that men construct distinctly masculine spaces of care later in life, contingent on both their resistance to spatially embedded ageism and their comparisons of grandfathering to previous lifecourse subjectivities, such as fathering. Complexity and diversity in how men negotiate these factors are also apparent and are explored. There is evidence for example that some men’s performances of ageing masculinities contribute to the maintenance of a gendered division of labour in family care work, while others perform alternative masculinities that offer potential to transform gendered carespaces. This is further mediated by intergenerational interactions with children and grandchildren. Focus on old men who are grandfathers necessarily complicates geographical perspectives on the spatio-temporalities of multiple masculinities, ageing and informal familial care.
The Professional Geographer, 2013
This paper explores how multiple positionalities were negotiated during qualitative interviews by... more This paper explores how multiple positionalities were negotiated during qualitative interviews by a young female early career researcher and older men who are grandfathers. Existing debate critiques the gendered methodological challenges negotiated by researchers of men and masculinities, but negotiations of age and generational differences in the field remain scant, despite recognition that age also structures socially constructed and spatially experienced identities. Including reflections on personal research experiences, the paper outlines the need for more explicit critical attention by geographers to the influence of the fluid intersectional identities of the researcher/researched on research experiences in the field and research outcomes.
Intergenerational Space, Vanderbeck, R. and Worth, N (eds), 2014
Studies of Ageing Masculinities: Still in their infancy? Tarrant, A. and Watts, J. (eds.), 2014
This presentation was presented at the British Sociological Association annual conference 2015. I... more This presentation was presented at the British Sociological Association annual conference 2015. It outlines a methodological strategy I have employed to conduct qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) across two of the Timescapes datasets; Following Young Fathers and Intergenerational Exchange. It reflects on debates that have emerged in relation to the re-use of data and provides some tips on how to approach QSA when two datasets are not directly comparable. Emerging conceptual findings are also briefly discussed.
Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how grandfatherhood relates to the a... more Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how grandfatherhood relates to the assertion and transformation of masculinities in later life. Recent attention to ageing and masculinities has identified how older men are challenged to succeed in maintaining connections to hegemonic masculinity in light of altered family and life circumstances. We consider men’s engagement with grandfatherhood as a means for so doing, illustrating how men make sense of the role through continuity with hegemonic masculinity. While grandfathers describe emotionally intimate and affectionate relationships with their grandchildren, their accounts reflect desires to re-affirm previous connections to masculinities. Attention to the way individualised masculinities are re-negotiated in later life can help to explain how men are making sense of the new family opportunities that arise from being a grandparent. Such an analysis of grandfatherhood, we argue, also offers significant critique of hegemonic masculinity and its distinction to non-hegemonic masculinities intersected by old age.
Men and Masculinities, 2015
The intersections of masculinities and age have attracted relatively little theorizing. This arti... more The intersections of masculinities and age have attracted relatively little theorizing. This article examines the theoretical implications of young/old age and masculinities by bringing together two bodies of literature (young age and masculinities and old age and masculinities) and two research studies (one with pre-teenage school students in Australia and one with grandfathers in the United Kingdom). We focus on two key themes: caring practices and relations and the divide between physical activity and intellectual pursuits. Drawing on these themes, we show how age allows for gender transgressions and practices of gender equality and how young boys and old men can also uphold a discourse of hegemonic masculinity, despite age-related tensions. We conclude by arguing that a consideration of age has much to offer in terms of thinking about how gender is socially constructed and illuminates the complex power relations of age and gender categories.
This article analyses the meaning that 27 men who are grandfathers ascribed to the domestic mater... more This article analyses the meaning that 27 men who are grandfathers ascribed to the domestic material cultures of their homes, during an exploratory study that investigated their contemporary social and cultural geographies. In recounting stories about a number of items and artefacts placed about their homes during the interviews, that they specifically related to their experiences as grandfathers, the men provided insight into the various ways in which ageing men position themselves in ambivalent ways in relation to cultural stereotypes about grandparenthood, masculinities and ageing. Moving beyond the surface of the objects on display, their discussions also revealed the complex ways in which the material cultures of their homespaces are shaped by, and reproduce, diverse family relationships and their associated politics. The article contributes to, and bridges agendas in social and cultural geography that examine the relationship between the shifting meanings of home for older men, the politics of attending to the material and both the family and older masculine identities as spatial projects.
This article presents findings from an evaluation conducted in 2012, of the advice and advocacy s... more This article presents findings from an evaluation conducted in 2012, of the advice and advocacy service provided by the charity Family Rights Group for families involved with children's services. It specifically focuses on the experiences of grandparents and explores accounts from grandparents who were either in the process of seeking care of their grandchildren, or were already caring for grandchildren but without formal support or recognition. The findings suggest that there is a need to pay greater attention to the fears of such grandparents about children's services in a context where there appears to be a policy preference for adoption. Also evident is a paradox at the heart of contemporary social work practices towards grandparents. While some felt dismissed and marginalized very quickly by social workers and imaginative approaches to care possibilities did not appear to be pursued, others were carrying enormous burdens of care often for very long periods of time without either financial support or legal recognition. To strengthen the care options for children and respect the ethic of care that is clearly to be observed operating in grandparenting practices, it is suggested that a more thorough interrogation of the multiple and often highly contradictory meanings attached to family is required on the part of social workers.
Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how grandfatherhood relates to the a... more Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how grandfatherhood relates to the assertion and transformation of masculinities in later life. Recent attention to ageing and masculinities has identified how older men are challenged to successfully present themselves as maintaining active and youthful lives through complicity, if not adherence, to hegemonic masculinity. We consider men's engagement with grandfatherhood as a means for so doing, illustrating how men make sense of the role through continuity with masculinity. While grandfathers describe intimate and affectionate relationships with their grandchildren, their accounts of their involvement reflect desires to re-affirm their previous connections to masculinity.
Abstract Purpose – To demonstrate how generational as well as gendered identities, impacted on re... more Abstract Purpose – To demonstrate how generational as well as gendered identities, impacted on researcher-researched relationships built during the interview process, engendering specific insights about contemporary British grandfathering. Design/methodology/approach – An 'ad-hoc' reflection of interview transcripts and researcher field notes generated from thirty-one qualitative interviews with men who are grandfathers, to reflexively interrogate how various identity markers operated within my encounters with grandfathers, as a young female researcher. Findings – Men positioned me within a grandparent-grandchild relationship during the interviews, which afforded specific insights into contemporary grandfatherhood, including the socio-historical contexts in which grandfathering takes place. While perceptions and assumptions about gender influence how participants perceive researchers, focusing too rigidly on gender is problematic. It risks re-enforcing potentially stereotypical assumptions about men and women, thus downplaying the contradictions and paradoxes inherent in men's constructions and performances of their diverse later life identities, as well as obscuring the complex intersectionalities and power relations that operate in the field. Originality/value – To argue that the concept of 'betweenness' aids in developing a more robust understanding of the complex and knowable negotiations of similarity and difference within research-encounters.
In recent years, the possibilities and pitfalls of qualitative secondary analysis have been the s... more In recent years, the possibilities and pitfalls of qualitative secondary analysis have been the subject of on-going academic debate, contextualised by the growing availability of qualitative data in digital archives and the increasing interest of funding councils in the value of data re-use. This article contributes to, and extends these methodological discussions, through a critical consideration of how the secondary analysis of thematically related qualitative longitudinal (QL) datasets might be utilised productively in qualitative research design. It outlines the re-use of two datasets available in the Timescapes Archive, that were analysed to develop a primary empirical project exploring processes of continuity and change in the context of men’s care responsibilities in low-income families. As well as outlining the process as an exemplar, key affordances and challenges of the approach are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on how a structured exploration of existing QL datasets can enhance research design in studies where there is limited published evidence.
There is increasing recognition within the academy, particularly among junior scholars, of the pr... more There is increasing recognition within the academy, particularly among junior scholars, of the precariousness that early career researchers face when seeking a long-term, permanent position in academia, and the need to create spaces of support (Bazeley, 2003; Gill, 2009; Parreira, 2015). This is underpinned by an emerging, although limited, dialogue that draws attention to what Gill (2009) has termed the ‘hidden injuries’ of academia. In this experiential think piece, we contribute to - and extend - this conversation by reflecting on our own career histories and aspirations, and on the complexities and contradictions we face as early career feminist researchers.
In so doing, we seek to move towards a more critical and reflexive investigation of our experiences, contextualised by relevant literature. We do this as young women for whom the possibilities in advancing feminist research agendas in relation to men, masculinities and the pursuit of gender equality (Anna); and stigma, myths and ineffective regulatory policy surrounding sex worker communities (Emily), are a key motivation, especially within disciplines that are dominated by men. We adopt an autobiographical style to explore the tensions that arise when trying to maintain our feminist identities, especially when our practices, identities and motivations to pursue an academic career are called into question.
Sociological Review, 2017
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Talks by Anna Tarrant
relationships with children and grandchildren. As a case study, grandfather identities reveal the complex and sometimes contradictory intersections of masculinities and generational
identities, highlighting that they are relational identities that are enacted and performed in family relationships and are also shaped by increasingly flexible family structures.
Journal articles by Anna Tarrant
In so doing, we seek to move towards a more critical and reflexive investigation of our experiences, contextualised by relevant literature. We do this as young women for whom the possibilities in advancing feminist research agendas in relation to men, masculinities and the pursuit of gender equality (Anna); and stigma, myths and ineffective regulatory policy surrounding sex worker communities (Emily), are a key motivation, especially within disciplines that are dominated by men. We adopt an autobiographical style to explore the tensions that arise when trying to maintain our feminist identities, especially when our practices, identities and motivations to pursue an academic career are called into question.
relationships with children and grandchildren. As a case study, grandfather identities reveal the complex and sometimes contradictory intersections of masculinities and generational
identities, highlighting that they are relational identities that are enacted and performed in family relationships and are also shaped by increasingly flexible family structures.
In so doing, we seek to move towards a more critical and reflexive investigation of our experiences, contextualised by relevant literature. We do this as young women for whom the possibilities in advancing feminist research agendas in relation to men, masculinities and the pursuit of gender equality (Anna); and stigma, myths and ineffective regulatory policy surrounding sex worker communities (Emily), are a key motivation, especially within disciplines that are dominated by men. We adopt an autobiographical style to explore the tensions that arise when trying to maintain our feminist identities, especially when our practices, identities and motivations to pursue an academic career are called into question.