Pourquoi la personne âgée n'est-elle pas une personne ? 2.2. La Cité des Vieillards de Camille Rambaud

The general study, this paper is another step of, deals with the elaboration of the notion of “aged people” and with the reasons which lead the notion of “aged people” to become apparent and to replace the previously used notion of oldster. I believe that the notion of “aged people” is mainly the result of a political process and not the result of medical studies. Formally, oldsters were included in an association, which was first an institution, the hospice. But after the 31th may1856's flood in Lyon, C. Rambaud built a city for poor workers that offered low-rent housing. Face to the failure of that project, the City welcomed only aged people, offered them home and let them enjoy the fruits of their work. But “oldsters” wouldn't be considered as real “persons”: they still had to live in the City like they used to, abiding by moral and social norms. The time for “aged people” had not come yet.