E-MigrAgeing: Sustainable Ageing of Migrant Populations in Sweden and Japan and their Transnational families in the Framework of Digital Technologies

Project description: In 2022, I received funding, together with colleagues from Karlstad University and Toyo University, through MIRAI 2.0 and Vinnova to organise a conference on ageing, migration, and digital technologies. The event took place on May 11–12, 2022, at Karlstad University and was delivered in a blended format. With our invited speakers, we explored the experiences and technological knowledge of ageing migrants in Japan and the Nordic countries, focusing particularly on solutions to support sustainable ageing and the livelihoods of migrant communities. The first day of the conference focused on challenges in relation to implementing communication and translation technologies for older people and the role of digital technologies in the elder care sector. The second day brought together academic speakers to discuss broader topics in relation to the digitisation of ageing and issues of integration and digital care among migrant populations. The conference featured keynote speakers were Prof Yuko Takeda, Dr Anne Stefanie Aronsson, Prof Jackie J. Kim-Wachutka, and Dr Sofi Fristedt.
In addition, the conference collaborated with literally and visual artists whose work comes across and explores the key themes of the project. On Day 1 Mariia Ermilova, a Russian-born multidisciplinary researcher and artist, currently living and working in Japan, presented a method of sketching as a way of collaborating with ageing urban community. Mariia also created a sketch-record of the conference. Day 2 started with a poetry reading by Susan Cohen, an American-born writer living in Stockholm, who reflected on digital communications, migration, and identity through her work.
More information on the conference and recordings of the keynote lectures can be found on the conference website.
Together with my colleagues, I am currently working on an edited volume based on the conference themes, scheduled for publication in 2027.
Role: PI
Funding: This project is funded by the Intsam, a collaboration of Swedish research funding agencies, through Vinnova – Sweden’s Innovation Agency, in collaboration with MIRAI2.0.
Project members:
Dr. Satu Heikkinen, Karlstad University
Dr Tara Mehrabi, Karlstad University
Ksenia Golovina, Toyo University
Project website: E-Migrageing Conference Twitter: @migrageing
Project related Publications:
Toyo University, https://www.toyo.ac.jp/news/academics/faculty/soc/dgds/dgdsnews_20220527/