A Phenomenology of Hesitation, Open-mindedness, and Intergenerational Habitus Formation at Older Age

In this article, I explore how older people can experience the tensions between ‘keeping an open mind’ at older age, intergenerational shifts in cultural norms, and social separation between generations— interpreting this phenomenologically as a rupture in the intergenerational habitus. Drawing on engaged phenomenological insights from qualitative interviews, as well as Beauvoir’s and Mannheim’s theories of intergenerationality, I explore structural factors which pose specific obstacles to intergenerational relationships and open-mindedness at older age. I phenomenologically review the conditions of possibility for being open to the perspectives of younger people. In particular, I attend to a moment of ‘hesitation’ (Al-Saji, 2014) experienced by participants during which they felt aware of intergenerational differences. I consider and analyse phenomenologically the different affective responses that are possible when moments of generational difference manifest in a tangible intergenerational encounter.