A basic motivation for social and cultural life is the problem of death. By analysing the experiences of dying and bereaved people, as well as institutional responses to death, Clive Seale shows its importance for understanding the place of embodiment in social life. He draws on a comprehensive review of sociological, anthropological and historical studies, including his own research, to demonstrate the great variability that exists in human social constructions for managing mortality. Far from living in a 'death denying' society, dying and bereaved people in contemporary culture are often able to assert membership of an imagined community, through the narrative reconstruction of personal biography, drawing on a variety of cultural scripts emanating from medicine, psychology, the media and other sources. These insights are used to argue that the maintenance of the human social bond in the face of death is a continual resurrective practice, permeating everyday life.

"Social Research Methods: A Reader "brings together many of the core classic and contemporary works in social and cultural research methods, giving students direct access to methodological debates and examples of practical research across the qualitative/quantitative divide. The book is designed to be used both as a collection of readings and as an introductory research methods textbook in its own right. Topics covered include:
- Research methodology
- Research design, data collection and preparation
- Analysing data
- Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods
- Validity and reliability
- Methodological critique: Postmodernism, post-structuralism and critical ethnography
- Political and ethical aspects of research
- Philosophy of social science
- Reporting research.
In addition to a containing an extensive introduction, each section is precededby a short introduction placing the readings in context. This reader-text also includes features such as discussion questions and practical exercises.

"Social Research Methods: A Reader "brings together many of the core classic and contemporary works in social and cultural research methods, giving students direct access to methodological debates and examples of practical research across the qualitative/quantitative divide. The book is designed to be used both as a collection of readings and as an introductory research methods textbook in its own right. Topics covered include:
- Research methodology
- Research design, data collection and preparation
- Analysing data
- Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods
- Validity and reliability
- Methodological critique: Postmodernism, post-structuralism and critical ethnography
- Political and ethical aspects of research
- Philosophy of social science
- Reporting research.
In addition to a containing an extensive introduction, each section is precededby a short introduction placing the readings in context. This reader-text also includes features such as discussion questions and practical exercises.

Written by internationally renowned experts, each chapter provides a full introduction to a key aspect of research methodology. From starting out to generating, analysing, and presenting data, this new edition covers foundational concepts in social research while also keeping students on the pulse of topics like digital social research, social surveys, and big data. Packed with international examples from across the social sciences, it shows how to interpret and work with data generated from real-world research. It gives you the tools to: - Design the right research question for your project - Access, understand, and use existing data - Effectively write up projects and assignments - Be confident in the A to Z of the research process Supported by an interactive website with videos, datasets, templates, and additional exercises, this book is the perfect hand-holder for any social science student starting a methods course or project.

`This book appears to fill a substantial gap in the literature at present. There are, quite simply, no books available which engage seriously and competently with the presentation of health issues in the media, and certainly none which focuses on representations of health and illness in as thematically coherent a manner as Seale proposes to do' - Richard Gwyn, University of Cardiff

`This is an excellent resource for students. It provides a comprehensive review of secondary literature in the field and is very well researched. Students of sociology of health and illness and in media and communication studies will find the book invaluable' - David Oswell, Goldsmiths College, University of London

`This is a comprehensive work on media health, providing an invaluable "toolkit" for understanding health and the media in contemporary society. Seale goes further than previous textbooks, critiquing the ?lament? of media health promoters in order to explore the moralisation and commercialisation of media health' - Dr Annette Hill, University of Westminster

How are health matters presented by the mass media? How accurate are the messages we are receiving? This book demonstrates how health messages in popular mass media are important influences in our lives, and that they are not neutral, being subject to many determining influences. It demonstrates the importance of mass media for understanding the experience of illness, health and health care, bringing together the latest thinking in the field of media studies and the sociology of health and illness.

This book provides a thorough review of research literature on media representations of health, illness and health care, covering their production, characteristic forms and relationships with the everyday lives of media audiences. It brings together both well known and lesser-known studies in the context of an integrated, sociological argument about media and health.

Media producers are subject to a variety of influences, from medical lobbies, scientific organizations, and not least the commercial pressure to satisfy media-saturated audiences. These mean that aims of health promoters are not always easily achieved, leading to considerable tensions that require a deeper understanding of media health than has hitherto been applied to them.

This book will be essential reading for health educators and promoters, as well as health care providers interested in the cultural aspects of health, sociologists of health and illness, and students and academics of media studies.