Events

  The public is invited to a book launch party at Olin College (Milas Auditorium) in Needham with a fascinating presentation about Needham's Vita Needle company, whose employees' median age is 74!! (A copy of the Olin College Campus map is here:  www.olin.edu/campus/campus_map.aspx.) In Retirement on the Line: Age, Work, and Value in an American Factory, Olin College's anthropologist Caitrin Lynch explores what this unusual company’s commitment to an elderly workforce means for the employer, the workers, the community, and society more generally.  At the event, Caitrin will speak about her book, show a video clip and  hold a discussion with a couple of people featured in the book.   The book launch party will be held on Thursday, May 3, 2012 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Olin College, 1000 Olin Way, Needham. (STAY TUNED for exact location within Olin College.)  Books will be available for purchase at the event, courtesy of Wellesley Books. ABOUT THE BOOK: Benefiting from nearly five years of fieldwork at Vita Needle, Caitrin Lynch offers an intimate portrait of the people who work there.  As an in-depth study of a singular workplace, rooted in the unique insights of an anthropologist who specializes in the world of work, this book provides a sustained focus on values and meanings— with profound consequences for the broader assumptions our society has about aging and employment.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caitrin Lynch is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Olin College. Dr. Lynch received her Ph.D. and M.A. in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago and her B.A. in anthropology from Bates College.