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”.