Feederism: Social Policy on Ageing: The Case of ¡°Active Ageing¡± as a Theatrical Metaphor

¡°Active ageing¡± has internationally circulated as a prominent approach to meeting the challenges of an ageing population. Through the use of a theatrical metaphor as an organizing principle, this article offers a fresh look at the concept of active ageing that clarifies the origins of its definition (the ¡°story¡± of active ageing and its ¡°playwrights¡±) and presents the scope of its action in policy through the exploration of two societal ¡°stages¡± in Quebec and Belgium. By comparing these two levels (¡°story¡±/¡°stages¡±) and these two ¡°stages¡±, it helps to understand why the ¡°comprehensive¡± version of active ageing developed more in Quebec while, until now, the ¡°reduced¡± version to its productivist dimension is more evident in Belgium. The discussion also identifies some limits of ¡°active ageing¡±.