This compelling text and dramatic photographic essay convey the emotional power of the death rituals of a small Greek village--the funeral, the singing of laments, the distribution of food, the daily visits to the graves, and especially the rite of exhumation. These rituals help Greek villagers face the universal paradox of mourning: how can the living sustain relationships with the dead and at the same time bring them to an end, in order to continue to live meaningfully as members of a community? That is the villagers' dilemma, and our own. Thirty-one moving photographs (reproduced in duotone to do justice to their great beauty) combine with vivid descriptions of the bereaved women of "Potamia" and with the words of the funeral laments to allow the reader an unusual emotional identification with the people of rural Greece as they struggle to integrate the experience of death into their daily lives.

Loring M. Danforth's sensitive use of symbolic and structural analysis complements his discussion of the social context in which these rituals occur. He explores important themes in rural Greek life, such as the position of women, patterns of reciprocity and obligation, and the nature of social relations within the family.

This stimulating new book provides a sophisticated introduction to the key issues in the sociology of death and dying.

In recent years, the social sciences have seen an upsurge of interest in death and dying. The fascination with death is reflected in popular media such as newspapers, television documentaries, films and soaps, and, moreover, in the multiplying range of professional roles associated with dying and death. Yet despite its ubiquitous significance, the majority of texts in the field have been written primarily for health professionals. This book breaks with that tradition.

It provides a cutting edge, comprehensive discussion of the key topics in death and dying and in so doing demonstrates that the study of mortality is germane to all areas of sociology. The book is organised thematically, utilising empirical material from cross-national and cross-cultural perspectives. It carefully addresses questions about social attitudes to mortality, the social nature of death and dying, explanations for change and diversity in approaches, and traditional, modern and postmodern experiences of death.

"Death and Dying" will appeal to students across the social sciences, as well as professionals whose work brings them into contact with dying or bereaved people.

"Kein Antlitz in einem Sarg hat mir je gezeigt, daB der Eben-Verstorbene uns vermiBt. Das Gegenteil davon ist Uberdeutlich . . . Der Verstorbene UberlaBt mich der Erinnerung an meine Erlebnisse mit ihm . . . Er hingegen, der Verstorbene, hat inzwischen eine Erfahrung, die mir erst noch bevorsteht, und die sich nicht ver- mitteln laBt - es geschehe denn durch eine Offenbarung im Glauben. " Aus der Totenrede von Max Frisch fUr Peter Noll Die Ergebnisse einer kulturvergleichenden Analyse zu Sterben und Tod, die sich die 7. Internationale Fachkonferenz Ethnomedizin im April 1984 zur Aufgabe gemacht hatte, werden hier einer breiteren Offentlichkeit zuganglich. Die Beitrage konfrontieren uns mit einer tiberwaltigenden Ftille kultureller Zeugnisse tiber den Umgang mit Sterbenden und tiber die Symbolisierung des Todes. Ungeachtet der un- vermeidlichen Beschranktheit und Zufalligkeit der Auswahl, trotz der in der Sache liegenden Verfremdung wissenschaftlich-methodischer Dar- stellung ftihlt sich der Leser unmittelbar angesprochen, ja, gefes- selt durch die Intensitat, mit der zu allen Zeiten und in allen Kulturen Sterben und Tod kulturell gestaltet, symbolisch gedeutet und im mitmenschlichen Umgang erfahren wurde. DaB uns Menschen Ster- ben und Tod gemeinsam sind, daB jede Zeit, jede Kultur, aber auch jeder einzelne sich dieser anthropologisch gemeinsamen Situation stellen muB, sie ftir sich deuten und verarbeiten muB, dtirfte wohl auf keine andere Weise so sinnfallig und tiberzeugend hervortreten wie in dem hier vorgelegten Tagungsbericht.

Suppose you knew that, though you yourself would live your life to its natural end, the earth and all its inhabitants would be destroyed thirty days after your death. To what extent would you remain committed to your current projects and plans? Would scientists still search for a cure for cancer? Would couples still want children? In Death and the Afterlife, philosopher Samuel Scheffler poses this thought experiment in order to show that the continued life of the human race after our deaths-the "afterlife" of the title-matters to us to an astonishing and previously neglected degree. Indeed, Scheffler shows that, in certain important respects, the future existence of people who are as yet unborn matters more to us than our own continued existence and the continued existence of those we love. Without the expectation that humanity has a future, many of the things that now matter to us would cease to do so. By contrast, the prospect of our own deaths does little to undermine our confidence in the value of our activities. Despite the terror we may feel when contemplating our deaths, the prospect of humanity's imminent extinction would pose a far greater threat to our ability to lead lives of wholehearted engagement. Scheffler further demonstrates that, although we are not unreasonable to fear death, personal immortality, like the imminent extinction of humanity, would also undermine our confidence in the values we hold dear. His arresting conclusion is that, in order for us to lead value-laden lives, what is necessary is that we ourselves should die and that others should live. Death and the Afterlife concludes with commentary by four distinguished philosophers-Harry Frankfurt, Niko Kolodny, Seana Shiffrin, and Susan Wolf-who discuss Scheffler's ideas with insight and imagination. Scheffler adds a final reply.

An Anthology of Death, Dying, and the Living offers students a multifaceted, cross-disciplinary, and intellectual exploration of death, what it means to be human, and what it means to truly live. Through a historic and anthropological lens, students read articles that address diverse domestic and international events and convene a variety of perspectives in terms of culture and identity as they relate to death, dying, and living. The anthology is divided into five distinct sections: Should We Fear Death? To Die is to Have Lived!; Existential Death-Suicide?; Death and the Family; Death and the Self (Grief, Mourning, and Elegies); and Biomedical Death-What Does it Mean to Die with Dignity?. Each section features articles from a variety of sources that draw from the disciplines of anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, politics, government and law, and religious studies. Students experience a holistic and complete examination of various understandings, interpretations, and viewpoints about life, death, and the interplay between the two. The revised first edition includes two new readings. The first is an article by the editor, Atiba Rougier, that considers the national-and personal-impacts of 9/11 and COVID-19, and the second is a piece by a gastroenterologist and chronicles how their role at a hospital changed during the pandemic. An accessible, emotional, and thought-provoking collection, An Anthology of Death, Dying, and the Living is well suited for courses that explore death and dying from a sociological, psychological, philosophical, or anthropological perspective.

The coronavirus pandemic has made society's relationship with death and dying everybody's business. We have had to confront new challenges around the way we care for dying people, yet the old problems have not gone away. In February 2018, Dennis Eccleston, suffering in agony from terminal cancer, took an overdose of pain medication to end his own life, helped by his wife Mavis. Mavis was charged with murder. The turmoil that followed sheds light on the brutal impact of the UK's failure to legalise assisted dying. Sarah Wootton and Lloyd Riley of the campaign group Dignity in Dying argue that our laws and culture governing death and dying need radical reform and present a vision of what dying in the twenty-first century should look like. From votes for women to equal marriage, campaigners have had to fight for rights that now seem sacrosanct. As the pandemic now forces us to re-examine how we die, Wootton and Riley show how choice at the end of life is a right whose time has come. Bringing to light the heart-breaking testimony of those who have witnessed unimaginable suffering at the end of life and exposing the hypocrisy of the arguments put forward to oppose progress, Last Rights questions how future generations will judge us if we fail to take action and issues a call to arms for people to unlock their power and demand change.

In spite of society's wish to protect and insulate children from death, the experience of loss is unavoidable and there is surprisingly little guidance on how to help children cope with grief and bereavement. Never Too Young to Know: Death in Children's Lives is the first book to bring together diverse fields of study, offering a practical as well as multifaceted theoretical approach to how children cope with death. Using stories of children's own experiences supported by data from a large research study, Silverman explains the wide range of effects of loss upon children and the challenges they face as they grieve. Silverman presents grief as a normal part of the life cycle which results not only in pain and sadness but also in change and growth. She further explains that children can and do cope effectively with loss and the changes it brings as long as they are taught to understand that death is a part of life and that they will be included appropriately in the family drama. Never Too Young To Know: Death in Children's Lives is divided into three parts. The first section includes an overview and theoretical framework that examines the social, historical, developmental, and familial forces that frame and focus childrens lives as they experience loss. The second section offers a detailed analysis of how children experience mourning different types of death including the death of siblings, parents, and friends, and death due to illness, suicide, accidents, and violence. The final section includes an accessible guide to helping children cope with grief, emphasizing the importance and the necessity of social support as children learn to adapt to their new lives. Never Too Young To Know: Death in Children's Lives is not only ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students learning about children but it is also useful for courses on death and dying and the family. It is also an invaluable book for mental health practitioners, clergy, school teachers, nurses, pediatricians, as well as the general reader interested in learning how to deal with death in children's lives.

In the early 1960s, this classic work of investigative journalism was a number one bestseller. The savage and hilarious analysis of America's funeral practices rocked the industry and shocked the public. This up-dated edition (revised just before the author's death) shows that if anything the industry has become more pernicious than ever in its assault on our practices and wallets. And it's an industry that - alas - sooner or later affects us all.