This chapter examines the aging experiences of the Malavettuvan, one of the Scheduled Tribes in the state of Kerala, South India, with the theoretical underpinning of social capital to assess the usefulness of the concept of bridging and bonding social capital. In order to understand the aging experiences of the elderly, ethnographic fieldwork was conducted among the community and the data was collected through in-depth interviewing, observation, and case study methods. Narratives of the elderly Malavettuvan were also collected to understand their perspectives on aging. The study shows that the older people in this tribal community have strong relationships within their family and among community members. Along with this, a closely knit value system that ensures trust, reciprocity, etc., within the community helps them to bond social capital for moving towards an active and green aging even though there are limited opportunities for bridging social capital. This chapter highlights the significance of the concepts like trust, value, reciprocity, family network, and community engagement in the life of older people among the Malavettuvan tribe and emphasizes the need for exploring such concepts of social capital in the realm of tribal gerontology.

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Moving Green with Social Capital: Aging Experiences of the Tribal Malavettuvan of South India

  • Seetha Kakkoth

摘要

This chapter examines the aging experiences of the Malavettuvan, one of the Scheduled Tribes in the state of Kerala, South India, with the theoretical underpinning of social capital to assess the usefulness of the concept of bridging and bonding social capital. In order to understand the aging experiences of the elderly, ethnographic fieldwork was conducted among the community and the data was collected through in-depth interviewing, observation, and case study methods. Narratives of the elderly Malavettuvan were also collected to understand their perspectives on aging. The study shows that the older people in this tribal community have strong relationships within their family and among community members. Along with this, a closely knit value system that ensures trust, reciprocity, etc., within the community helps them to bond social capital for moving towards an active and green aging even though there are limited opportunities for bridging social capital. This chapter highlights the significance of the concepts like trust, value, reciprocity, family network, and community engagement in the life of older people among the Malavettuvan tribe and emphasizes the need for exploring such concepts of social capital in the realm of tribal gerontology.