Idleness: Energizing the Danish Welfare State

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Standard

Idleness : Energizing the Danish Welfare State. / Mikkelsen, Henrik Hvenegaard.

In: Anthropology and Aging , Vol. 40, No. 2, 2019, p. 37-47.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Mikkelsen, HH 2019, 'Idleness: Energizing the Danish Welfare State', Anthropology and Aging , vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 37-47. https://doi.org/10.5195/aa.2019.176

APA

Mikkelsen, H. H. (2019). Idleness: Energizing the Danish Welfare State. Anthropology and Aging , 40(2), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.5195/aa.2019.176

Vancouver

Mikkelsen HH. Idleness: Energizing the Danish Welfare State. Anthropology and Aging . 2019;40(2):37-47. https://doi.org/10.5195/aa.2019.176

Author

Mikkelsen, Henrik Hvenegaard. / Idleness : Energizing the Danish Welfare State. In: Anthropology and Aging . 2019 ; Vol. 40, No. 2. pp. 37-47.

Bibtex

@article{1ffd5a5d71494dbb84fd1e5382d444e2,
title = "Idleness: Energizing the Danish Welfare State",
abstract = "This article appropriates the concept of energy in order to analyze the interaction between the Danish welfare state and the category of citizens referred to among social workers and health professionals as “passive citizens.” While passivity might commonly be seen as mere inactivity—a certain non-action beyond the unfolding of social life—this article argues that in the Danish welfare society, the opposite is the case. In fact, in this context various forms of passivity have become the object of concerted political and media attention and the general schism between energy and passivity has become part of a public discourse on elderly health care and aging. By examining the way health care professionals talk about passive senior citizens in terms of a lack of energy, this article shows how, in a wider sense, passivity is framed as a particular problem that can be overcome through the right health care intervention. I argue that energy and passivity have become of key interest to the Danish welfare state in managing its aging population and that the attempt to activate the passive citizen in fact energizes the welfare state.",
keywords = "Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet, passivity, Denmark, welfare society, Bartleby, energy",
author = "Mikkelsen, {Henrik Hvenegaard}",
year = "2019",
doi = "10.5195/aa.2019.176",
language = "Dansk",
volume = "40",
pages = "37--47",
journal = "Anthropology and Aging",
issn = "2374-2267",
publisher = "Association for Anthropology, Gerontology, and the Life Course",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Idleness

T2 - Energizing the Danish Welfare State

AU - Mikkelsen, Henrik Hvenegaard

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - This article appropriates the concept of energy in order to analyze the interaction between the Danish welfare state and the category of citizens referred to among social workers and health professionals as “passive citizens.” While passivity might commonly be seen as mere inactivity—a certain non-action beyond the unfolding of social life—this article argues that in the Danish welfare society, the opposite is the case. In fact, in this context various forms of passivity have become the object of concerted political and media attention and the general schism between energy and passivity has become part of a public discourse on elderly health care and aging. By examining the way health care professionals talk about passive senior citizens in terms of a lack of energy, this article shows how, in a wider sense, passivity is framed as a particular problem that can be overcome through the right health care intervention. I argue that energy and passivity have become of key interest to the Danish welfare state in managing its aging population and that the attempt to activate the passive citizen in fact energizes the welfare state.

AB - This article appropriates the concept of energy in order to analyze the interaction between the Danish welfare state and the category of citizens referred to among social workers and health professionals as “passive citizens.” While passivity might commonly be seen as mere inactivity—a certain non-action beyond the unfolding of social life—this article argues that in the Danish welfare society, the opposite is the case. In fact, in this context various forms of passivity have become the object of concerted political and media attention and the general schism between energy and passivity has become part of a public discourse on elderly health care and aging. By examining the way health care professionals talk about passive senior citizens in terms of a lack of energy, this article shows how, in a wider sense, passivity is framed as a particular problem that can be overcome through the right health care intervention. I argue that energy and passivity have become of key interest to the Danish welfare state in managing its aging population and that the attempt to activate the passive citizen in fact energizes the welfare state.

KW - Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet

KW - passivity

KW - Denmark

KW - welfare society

KW - Bartleby

KW - energy

U2 - 10.5195/aa.2019.176

DO - 10.5195/aa.2019.176

M3 - Tidsskriftartikel

VL - 40

SP - 37

EP - 47

JO - Anthropology and Aging

JF - Anthropology and Aging

SN - 2374-2267

IS - 2

ER -

ID: 181224617