Population aging is a global phenomenon, yet the ways aging is theorized, understood and measured vary across societies, cultures, and welfare regimes. Alternative normative concepts – including active, healthy, successful, positive, optimal, resilient, productive, and other culturally grounded approaches to aging – offer different perspectives on later life and reflect diverse social, cultural, and political priorities. This stream examines the theoretical foundations, empirical applications, and measurement of normative concepts of aging across countries, regions, and intellectual traditions. We are particularly interested in how different frameworks emerge, evolve, and are adapted or contested in diverse contexts, as well as in their implications for understanding inequalities and diversity in later life. Contributions may explore perspectives originating from different parts of the world. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions from sociology as well as interdisciplinary ones connecting with related disciplines, including psychology, economics, political science, demography, public health, gerontology, etc. Contributions may address conceptual debates, comparative perspectives, the development and validation of indicators and indices, policy applications, transfer and adaptations, and the relationship between theoretical frameworks and empirical operationalizations. By bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives and diverse regional contexts, this stream aims to foster critical dialogue on how aging can be understood, measured and governed in ways that are more inclusive, culturally sensitive, and responsive to diverse social realities. The stream seeks to advance comparative scholarship that challenges universal assumptions and contributes to the development of more context-sensitive theories, indicators, and policy frameworks for aging societies. Session organizers: Jekaterina Navicke jekaterina.navicke@fsf.vu.lt, Zeimante Straseviciute, Vilnius University, Lithuania, zeimante.straseviciute@fsf.vu.lt