SNG Conference - Martine Lagacé, Ph.D.

Although it remains a form of discrimination that is still unexplored and not circumscribed enough, ageism, in its ins and outs, has been the subject of a number of empirical studies over the past decade. The purpose of this conference is to provide an overview of the accumulated knowledge of stereotypes and discriminatory processes on the basis of age, from a psychosocial perspective. The sources, manifestations and impacts of ageism will be discussed, especially regarding the situation of older workers, retirees and elderly patients. Finally, based on recent studies on the factors that could contribute to reducing ageism, we will explore the potentialities of intergroup contact theory.

About the Speaker

Martine Lagacé is a professor in the Department of Communication and affiliated with the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. She is currently Vice-Dean of governance and external relations at the Faculty of Arts at this same university. She completed a doctorate in psychology during which she explored the psychosocial issues of early retirement. For almost twenty years, her work has focused on age bias, more particularly on the question of ageism, from its ins and outs among older workers and retirees. She has published (Presses de l’Université Laval) two books to that effect: Comprendre et changer le regard sur le vieillissement (2010) and Représentations et discours sur le vieillissement (2015).