ABSTRACT
Demographic ageing and the rapid advancement of technology – especially digital technologies – are two trends that drive profound societal change. In this introduction, we set the stage for the book, which explores and advances interdisciplinary critical studies about ageing and technology as the foundation of a new academic field: Socio-gerontechnology. The aim is to overcome the divide between social analyses of ageing, on the one hand, and engineering and design-based approaches, on the other. We elaborate upon what we mean by critical studies and how they can help overcome this divide, and why a dialogue between Age Studies and Science and Technology Studies (STS) is particularly fruitful for this endeavour, drawing on our personal journeys from, to and between these fields. We then briefly discuss each of the contributions to the book and identify key themes and future agendas that emerge from them.
