From Disengagement to Gerotranscendence: A Gerontological Reading of Jamal Mahjoub’s The Fugitives

Abstract

This study explores how ageing is depicted in Jamal Mahjoub’s novel The Fugitives (2021) and how the novel questions the stereotypical understanding of ageing through the meeting of the legendary Kamanga Kings jazz band in Sudan. The study is based on literature on gerontology, such as disengagement theory, activity theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, Erik Erikson’s theory of integrity versus despair, postcolonial memory theory, and psychoanalytical theory of ageing. It investigates how, in the novel, Mahjoub redefines ageing as a process of reclaiming identity, of holding on to cultural memory, of handing over legacy from one generation to the next, and of spiritual renewal instead of an inevitable transition marked by physical and psychological decay. The results show that music, memory and storytelling are effective in countering marginalization and ensuring continuity between past and present. Moreover, the novel highlights the importance of intergenerational communication in supporting meaningful aging, and presents later life as a relational phenomenon, one that is primarily based on connectivity, resilience and shared culture. The study concludes that, rather than the dominant Western narrative, The Fugitives offers an alternative view of old age and offers a more expanded view of literary depictions of old age and later life.