Sociology: death and dying Books

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Book SynopsisWhat do you do with death and dying when they can no longer be pushed to the outer limits of your lived experience or dismissed from your conscious mind? How do you live with death or rather how do you ‘live death’ when death comes too close, seeming to enter the very air you breathe? The Plague is a collection of essays guiding us from the Covid-19 pandemic through to the war in Ukraine in order to imagine a world in which a radical respect for death might exist alongside a fairer distribution of the earth’s wealth. ‘Living death’ will appear as something of a refrain, a reminder that to think of death as an avoidable intruder into how we order our lives, especially in the West, is an act of defiance that is doomed to fail. In the thought of the philosopher Simone Weil, who plays a key role in the book, only if we admit the limits of the human, will we stop vaunting the brute illusion of earthly power.Trade Review‘The vitality of these valuable essays on death, war and Simone Weil keeps on giving long after the last page has been turned.’ — Deborah Levy, Guardian'Rose cements her place at the summit of Anglo literary culture. The book is also testament to the essay as the most exhilarating form through which to confront the history of the present … Rose never tries to have the last word or entomb her subjects in cast-iron conclusions about their life and thought. She invites us to do our own thinking, to grapple with the violence and paradoxes of existence.' — Gavin Jacobson, New Statesman‘This is a brief but beautifully written book, full of memorable insights into life, death, and politics. In particular, the final essay on Weil is a wonderfully moving mix of biographical, philosophical and political analysis…In Weil’s writings, Rose finds a glimmer of hope in dark times: “against race, class and national affiliations, Weil’s heart is beating right across the globe”.’ — P.D. Smith, Guardian‘It’s really hard for me to overestimate how important [Rose’s] work has been for me... I don’t feel like that about very many writers.’ — Maggie Nelson‘Jacqueline Rose has no peer among critics of her generation. The brilliance of her literary insight, the lucidity of her prose, and the subtlety of her analyses are simply breathtaking.’ — Edward Said‘A surfeit of elegance and intelligence.’ — Ali Smith‘One of the most original and intellectually sophisticated minds at work today.’ — Eimear McBride‘As a literary scholar and psychoanalytic thinker, Rose has long insisted that we pay close attention to the subterranean fears, fantasies, and narratives that structure our most pressing sociopolitical problems.’ — Merve Emre, The Nation‘To read Rose is to understand that there is no border between us and the world; it is an invitation to a radical kind of responsibility.’ — Parul Sehgal, New York Times‘[Rose’s] work remains surprising and original ... The more I read her, the more I see the world through her questions ... Her real power, what makes her necessary as well as unique, may be how she teaches readers to ask probing questions on their own.’ — Christine Smallwood, New York Review of Books‘Instead of avoiding that foregone conclusion, these essays — which touch on everything from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine — encourage a radical respect of death as, if nothing else, a reminder of our equality as humans, which feels especially important in a world that grows less equal by the day.’ Róisin Lanigan, i-D‘It’s a profound take on creating a more just world in the wake of the pandemic.’ — Publishers Weekly‘This book, is …startingly up-to-date in ways that other explorations of the pandemic are perhaps not, set as it is on reminding the reader that, while we may be some way out of the woods, there remains a discomforting after-effect. So, despite dealing explicitly with the pandemic, Rose establishes a formulation within a period bookended by two key events: the beginning of UK lockdown and the invasion of Ukraine, yoking them together in accordance with Albert Camus’ assertion that “the two realities of history which to date people have never been prepared for [are] plagues and wars,” and an understanding that, often, one disaster bleeds into the next. This stands in quiet structural defiance to the usual narrative rolled out by news outlets, in which each constituent tragedy stands isolated and disconnected from the other.’ — Lia Rockey, The Arts Desk

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Book SynopsisHow does someone feel themselves so without hope that they have to kill themselves? What kind of a desire for revenge can provoke someone to go that far and how do they go about doing it? This work looks at the favoured methods of suicide and considers the impact it has on our culture and our understanding of what our lives mean.

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Book SynopsisThis is an original study of the role and rituals of death in Roman civilization. Death never ceases to fascinate the living and in Roman society, where the mortality was high, people were forced to confront the brevity of life and the impact of death. What did death mean and symbolise to the Romans? What does 'Roman death' tell the modern reader about ancient society? This accessible and engaging book ranges from suicides, funeral feasts, necromancy and Hades to mourning, epitaphs and posthumous damnation.Trade ReviewA comprehensive survey of attitudes to dying in Rome ... Valerie Hope takes us on a journey that starts with attitudes to mortality, through death scenes and funerals, and ends with mourning and commemorations of the dead. * BBC History Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1: Facing Mortality; 2: Death Scenes; 3: Funerals and Feasts; 4: Heaven and Hell; 5: Mourning the Dead; 6: Remembering the Dead.

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Book SynopsisThe unexpected death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Paris on August 31st 1997 led to a period of mourning over the next week that took the world by surprise. Major institutions - the media, the royal family, the church, the police - for once had no pre-planned script. For the public, this was a story with an ending they had not anticipated. How did these institutions and the public create a cultural order in the face of such disorder? Both those involved in the mourning and those who objected to it struggled to understand the depth and breadth of emotion shaking Britain and the world. Mourning was focused on London, where Diana's body lay, and on Diana's home, Kensington Palace. Throughout the city and especially in Kensington Gardens, millions left shrines to the dead princess made of flowers, messages, teddy bears and other objects. In towns and villages around the UK, this was repeated. The mourning was also global, with media dominated by Diana's death in scores of countries. The funeral itself had a record-breaking world television audience, and messages of condolence floated around the globe in cyber-space. How unique was all this? Does it mark a shift in the culture of mourning, of the position of the monarchy, of the role of emotion in British culture? How does it compare with the mourning for other super-icons - JFK, Evita, Elvis, and Monroe? Was it media-induced hysteria? Or was it simply a magnification of normal mourning behaviour? Focusing on the extraordinary actions of millions of ordinary people, this book documents what happened and shows how a modern rational society coped with the unexpected in a proto-revolutionary week that left participants and objectors alike asking 'why did we behave like this?'Trade Review'This (is a) sparkling collection of essays.'Journal of Contemporary Religion ' 'The Mourning for Diana' excels in demonstrating the virtues of adopting a 'sociologistic' approach to public mourning whilst at the same time drawing attention to the limits of conventional sociology in explaining how the intra-personal and experiential combine in the process of mourning.'Michael Brennan, Dept of Sociology, University of Warwick'Of all the books written about Diana, Princess of Wales, this must be one of the most scholarly ... For anyone interested in death, grief and mourning, this is a well-written, stimulating and valuable book.'Bereavement Care'A careful, dispassionate, and detailed presentation of the public events of mourning.'Religious Studies Review'A brilliant book. It combines all of the qualities that contribute to the making of a good read ... An excellent and, indeed, most significant contribution to the social sciences and humanities. It is a terrific achieTable of ContentsList of illustrations, Notes on Contributors, Preface, Part 1: Introduction, 1. The Week of Mourning Douglas Davies, 2. The Questions People Asked, Part 2: Contexts and Comments, 3. Royalty and Public Grief in Britain: an Historical Perspective 1817-1997, 4. The Moving Power of Moving Images: Television Constructions of Princess Diana, 5. The Children's Princess, 6. A Nation Under Stress: the Psychological Impact of Diana's Death, 7. Secular Religion and the Public Response to Diana's Death, Part 3: London, 8. Kensington Gardens: From Royal Park to Temporary Cemetery, 9. Pilgrims and Shrines, 10. A Bridge of Flowers, 11. Policing the Funeral, 12. Liturgy and Music, Part 4: The Global and the Provincial, 13. Books of Condolence, 14. A Provincial City Shows Respect: Shopping and Mourning in Bath, 15. America Responds to Diana's Death: Spontaneous Memorials, 16. An American Paean for Diana, an Unlikely Feminist Hero, 17. Jokes on the Death of Diana, Part 5: Conclusion, 18. And the Consequence Was, Index

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Book SynopsisThis work addresses how funerals may be created which are not only relevant for the bereaved, but which also have theological integrity. The majority of the British population no longer attend church yet when bereaved, many still turn to church representatives to perform funerals for their loved ones. This book addresses how funerals may be created which are not only relevant for the bereaved, but also have theological integrity. A paradigm shift in the manner by which funerals are constructed is proposed - from imposing alien liturgies to creating a unique ritual which evolves from the meeting of the stories of the bereaved and that of the ritual leader. The argument for the co-construction of funerals is informed by contemporary models of grief and Kelly's own experience with bereaved parents.Co-construction is a process which is centred on listening and empowering, and involves offering the bereaved choices from a range of ritual resources to help them shape their funeral's content. Such a process facilitates sensitive regulation of grief in an age where its privatisation has meant the bereaved are often bereft of a means by which to benchmark their feelings, behaviour and decision making.Trade ReviewMention -Book News, November 2008Review in Church Times, February 2009"...the possibility should be offered and planned for, if we take the research and insights of this book as seriously as it deserves." Theology, November 2009Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The postmodern context and the recognition of a need for ritual; 3. Grieving in a postmodern era; 4. Being and doing in the pastoral and spiritual care of the bereaved; 5. Ritualising death - formal and informal moments; 6. Co-construction - meeting spiritual needs and facilitating grief; 7. Co-construction - opportunities for the church; 8. Paradigm shifts; Appendix: Ritual resources - sacred and secular.

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Book SynopsisA unique take on death and bereavement without a belief in God or an afterlife Accepting death is never easy, but we don’t need religion to find peace, comfort, and solace in the face of death. In this inspiring and life-affirming collection of short essays, prominent atheist author Greta Christina offers secular ways to handle your own mortality and the death of those you love.Trade Review"In this book Greta Christina tackles the subject of death with the insight of a philosopher and the relaxed candor of a friendthat really cool, intelligent friend who understands and cares." David Niose , author, Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason"This is a book about the philosophy of death that actually confronts the practical reality of it, and helps you come to practical terms with it . . . The best book on the atheist philosophy of death you are likely ever to read." Richard Carrier, author, Sense and Goodness without God"Greta Christina continues to provide unique advice and information to the growing community of seculars. We all need to consider our mortality and learn positive and productive ways to deal with our inevitable deadline. Thanks for this little book of wisdom. Christina has written a handbook we can all use. But it should be in the hands of every hospital and military chaplain, every hospice care giver, even ministers, etc. No secular person should be subjected to supernatural ideas and wishful thinking when they are dealing with death, dying and grief." Darrel Ray, founder , Recovering from Religion

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Book SynopsisThis book on end of life examines how to include people with intellectual and developmental disability in the inevitability of dying and death. Comprising 17 chapters, it addresses challenging and under-researched topics including suicide, do-not-resuscitate, advance care planning, death doulas and accessible funerals. Topics reflect everyday community, palliative care, hospice and disability services.The book proposes that the rights of people with disabilities should be supported up to and after their death. Going beyond problem identification, the chapters offer positive, evidence-supported responses that translate research to practice, together with practice examples and resources grounded in lived experience. The book is applicable to readers from the disability field, and mainstream health professionals who assist people with disability in emergency care, palliative care or end-of-life planningTable of ContentsChapter 1: Current and New Developments in Death, Dying and End-Of-Life Care Policies and Practices.- Chapter 2: Experience of End-of-Life Issues by People with Intellectual Disability.- Chapter 3: Suicide and Autism: A Lifespan Perspective.- Chapter 4: Advance Care Planning with and for People who have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.- Chapter 5: Decision-Making at the End of Life: Challenges and Opportunities for People with Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities in Residential Homes in Germany.- Chapter 6: How People with Intellectual Disability are Dying and Implications for Quality Care.- Chapter 7: Living and Dying Well with Dementia.- Chapter 8: Building shared end-of-life supports and cross-training for hospice/palliative and intellectual disability services providers.- Chapter 9: Supporting People with Intellectual Disability at End of Life: Moral Distress among Staff Caregivers During COVID-19.- Chapter 10: Accessible Funerals and People with Intellectual Disability.- Chapter 11: End-of-Life Doulas and People Living with Intellectual and Developmental Disability.- Chapter 12: Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Children with Intellectual Disabilities.- Chapter 13: End-of-life Issues and Support Needs of People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disability.- Chapter 14: The Process of Dying.- Chapter 15: Use of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders.- Chapter 16: Positioning the Issues: An Agenda for Future End-of-life Research, Policy and Practice.- Chapter 17 End-of Life Resources.

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Book Synopsis

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