Dissertation

Mallwalking contributes to our understanding of the ways in which older adults informally organize a mall walkers club to stay physically active and socially connected. The first chapter explores how boundaries both reinforce and challenge successful aging, while also reinforcing group solidarity. In the second chapter I explore the ways in which the everyday realities of aging in community creates both group solidarity and challenges to it. The third chapter explores the mall walkers club’s online exercise program to uncover barriers and facilitators to virtual participation. In the final chapter, I reflect on the gendered nature of care work as well as the cultural meanings of food sharing over the course of my fieldwork. Data for this dissertation was collected from June 2019 to March 2021 through participant observation and ethnographic interviews.

My findings show how participation in the mall walkers club provided the opportunity for racialized older adults to find engaging ways to stay physically active and socially connected. From socializing at McDonald’s to exercising to soca, reggae, or dancehall in the food court, self- and collective identity was formed and reinforced within the mall. After the pandemic halted in-person gathering, some members actively sought out ways to maintain socially and physically active routines via digital technologies. The promise of upbeat and familiar music, for instance, was key to maintaining a sense of community and familiarity. However, online exercises also revealed barriers to participation.

Results from this dissertation suggest the need for additional support to communities of older adults that are culturally appropriate, mindful of their varying capacities, and support their autonomy. Some of these supports include access to digital technology, digital literacy education, and continued space in which to organize and build community. Furthermore, these findings illuminate the benefits of community-organizing to challenge cultural stereotypes rooted in ageist attitudes and behaviours towards older adults. Future research on community-organizing among older adults could investigate the ways in which immigration status and cohort enable or constrain self- and collective-identity formation, which have implications for social isolation and loneliness.