"We need a theoretical base": Cynthia Rich, Women's Studies, and Ageism: An Interview

Abstract

Cynthia Rich is an activist who has been exposing ageism against old women for more than 25 years. She co-authored the trailblazing essay collection Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging, and Ageism with her partner Barbara Macdonald in 1983; a second, expanded edition was issued in 1991. Another expansion of that edition was published in 2001 after Macdonald's death at age 86, so that the essays span more than twenty years of analysis and activism, addressing society's pervasive ageism from a feminist perspective. Rich lives in San Diego, where she is a co-founder of The Old Women's Project. According to the project website, the group "works to make visible how old women are directly affected by all issues of social justice, and to combat the ageist attitudes that ignore, trivialize or demean us. We are a group of old women who use actions of various kinds to achieve this goal. We welcome women of all ages who wish to join in our actions" (The Old Women's Project, 2005). During a telephone conversation, Rich commented on relationships between Women's Studies, ageism against old women, and activism. Whenever possible, the interviewer's (VBL) comments were omitted in order to focus on Rich's (CR) views.