CDAS recommends

The Revival of Death

by Tony Walter

Talking about death is now fashionable, but how should we talk? Who should we listen to - priests, doctors, cousellors, or ourselves? Has psychology replaced religion in telling us how to die? This provocative book takes a sociological look at the revival of interest in death, focusing on the hospice movement and bereavement counselling. It will be required reading for anyone interested in the sociology of death and caring for the dying, the dead or bereaved.

The frequent assertions that death is taboo are actually evidence of a revival of interest in dying and bereavement. traditional religious discourses lack plausibility, yet modern medical and bureaucratic discourses fail to tally with the personal experience of many dying and bereaved individuals. The current revival, while reinstating some traditional practices and retaining professional expertise, seeks ultimate authority elsewhere: in the individual self. The new death is personal, facilitated by palliative care, the life-centred funeral, and bereavement counselling. How though are we to know how to die and to grieve? What role do professional carers and psychological theories play in shaping the experiences of dying and bereaved persons? How do such persons learn from each other? This is the first book to comprehensively examine the revival and relate it to theories of modernity and postmodernity. The book will be of interest not only to social scientists but to anyone learning to care for the dying, the dead or the bereaved.

Published by Routledge, 1994

Death, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Malcolm Johnson and Donna Dickenson (with Jeanne Katz 2nd Edition)

The fully revised an updated edition of this bestselling collection combines academic research with professional and personal reflections in addressing both the practical and the more metaphsycial aspects of death.

A highly distinctive interdisciplinary approach is adopted, including perspectives from literature, theology, anthropology, sociology and psychology. While reviewing such topics as methods of pain relie, guidleines for breaking bad news, and current attitutdes to euthanasia and do-not-resuscitate orders, thje mystery of death and its wider implications are also explored. There are wide-ranging contributions from those who come into professional contact with death and bereavement - doctors, nurses, social workers and counsellors, in addition to more intimate personal accoutns from carers and from bereaved people.

By drawing together information, reflection and experience, this authoritative text will broaden your understanding of a subject area that western society is accused of denying., For professionals and students in nursing, medicine, social work, funeral directors, the clergy, counselling and the care of dying and bereaved people, it is essential reading.

First published by Open University Press, 2000, 2nd Edition, Sage publications