APaSuN

Bringing together institutions in Europe (France, Belgium), Canada and Africa, the APaSuN network aims to discuss changes in life courses by comparing different national situations in order to develop a new approach to life courses and age that cuts across the South and the North. This will allow us to rethink public policies organised around age categories that are disconnected from the experiences of those involved. We are particularly interested in the institutionalisation of life courses. By this we mean the factors (social policies, organisation of professional careers, family policies, fertility/conjugality and family roles, schooling, migration, etc.) that contribute to the emergence of structured models for organising family and professional time throughout the life course. To achieve this, the network relies not only on public research institutions, but also on associations in Africa and consultancies, drawing on contributions from a cross-sectoral perspective. In this way, we aim both to disseminate widely the contributions of university research and to learn from the approaches and know-how of actors producing knowledge outside the academic sphere. We aim to (1) question age thresholds (How do you become an adult? What defines youth? When are we considered 'old'? How are these representations constructed depending on whether one is in Africa, Europe or Canada? (2) To understand the sequence of life course stages (the different mobilities, statuses and family or professional roles, etc.) in a globalised context. We are particularly interested in the institutionalisation of life courses. (3) To understand this sequence in space (through mobilities, movements, etc.), using interdisciplinary and visual tools (photography, video, cartography, etc.). (4) To promote participatory and applied research by mobilising civil society actors and consultancies whose work is directly linked to decision-makers, particularly in the field of development policy. Based on exchanges between teams from different sectors and disciplines, and across spaces (Canada, Africa, Europe), this network aims to fill a gap by contributing to a decompartmentalised analysis of life stages and promoting an international comparative research field on contemporary life courses. In practice, the challenge is to consolidate the structure of the network of researchers and consultants around shared theoretical, bibliographical and practical knowledge, to promote South-North exchanges, and to encourage individual or collective field research. The network also aims to organise longer-term mobility between its members and considers the training of young researchers to be a priority.