Third places and loneliness in later life: everyday social worlds of older Turkish migrants in Germany

Abstract

Loneliness is a growing concern among aging migrant populations, with significant implications for their well-being and social integration. This study examines how first-generation Turkish labor migrants in Germany engage with third places such as parks, religious sites, neighborhood centers, and cafés, and how these everyday settings shape their experiences of social connection and loneliness in later life. Drawing on mobile ethnography and go-along interviews with 27 older adults in the Nuremberg metropolitan region in Germany, the study explores how third places are used, adapted, or withdrawn over time. While many participants found comfort and continuity in culturally familiar environments, their use of third places was shaped by gender, age, health, economic constraints, and changing neighborhood dynamics. Rather than serving as universally inclusive settings, third places often mirror broader social divisions, with limited intergenerational or cross-cultural interaction. The findings contribute to scholarship on aging, migration, and urban sociology by showing that third places are not only physical locations but social settings whose meaning, accessibility, and emotional significance shift over time and across contexts.