Policy Concepts and Their Shadows

In this article, we explore the form of care known as ‘active ageing’ by attending to its expression in care policies and within a Danish care home. We argue that active ageing policies gain their efficacy through reference to ‘the good life’, which is something the policies frame as ensuing if the elderly take on an active lifestyle. In the care home, the concept of active ageing gains its efficacy through its relation to other concepts of care, such as ‘lazy care’. The importance of the article lies in its demonstrating the dependence of policy concepts on other concepts (established or emerging), which lie in its shadow yet do important political work. Attending to shadow concepts is useful if trying to understand the inner mechanics of popular concepts in care policy, as well as the norms and resistance to which they give rise.