Overview

TRACE is a 5 year research project (2023-2027), aiming at the analysis of LGBTQI+ ageing, ageism and age-related politics in Southern Europe. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and coordinated by Prof. Ana Cristina Santos at the Center for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra – Portugal.

TRACE embraces a biographic narrative, life course approach, designed to preserve the embodied memory and embodied knowledge of LGBTQI+ people over the age of 60. Older LGBTQI+ people in Southern Europe have experienced fundamental changes across their lifespan, from criminalization to the aids-crisis related stigma and 21st century increasing recognition of formal rights including marriage. The research enables an in-depth portrait of different regions of Southern Europe today, grounded on the life stories of older adults whose lifespan accompanies these changes. Their shared and untold past of oppression will inform scholarly knowledge regarding current and future policymaking, particularly timely in a rapidly changing Europe grappling with the expansion of populism and anti-gender backlash.

TRACE’s main objectives are to produce an analysis of sexual and gender diversity through an age-sensitive lens over time. TRACE will gather LGBTQI+ life stories and contribute to the development of a rich record of queer history, at the same time as providing fundamental knowledge for informed decision-making in the field of ageing a nd anti-ageism politics and policies in Europe and beyond. TRACE will pay particular attention to issues related to health and well-being, care and intimacy.