Sociology of Death

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Sociology of Death

Introduction

The sociological study of dying, death and bereavement is a relatively latest area of research interest. In 1958, Faunce and Fulton composed a paper deserving 'the sociology of death: a neglected area of research', their argument being that the lack of sociological research in this area was probably attributable to a broader reluctance inside society to contemplate dying and death. However, despite Ben-Ari's claim that (with the exclusion of medical sociology) British sociologists had been notably calm in this theme, it would seem from the research literature that the number of sociologists researching in the area of dying, death and bereavement has increased significantly, particularly in the last 10 to 15 years.

Discussion

There has been much academic debate about the span to which dying and death remain 'taboo' in Anglophone societies. This is not a debate I can possibly manage justice to in the space of this reconsider, but it is important to note that experiences and understandings of dying, death and bereavement in up to date society are contradictory. In a world full of instant mass media which can be 'beamed' to our homes 'live': dying, death and the experiences of sorrow are all too widespread images on our television screens, in newspapers and on websites; to this span death is ever-present in our lives. This, although, is the death and suffering of 'others' to be watched and observed, but something we often find tough to relate to on a personal and individual level. As a humanity we worth youth, health and fitness. Dying and death is something associated with older age - those who may be regarded as having little financial or social value to society and its extending function. At a societal grade, dying and death are managed very well, generally having little or no impact on its smooth and creative running. However, it remains the case that many of us as individuals 'remain characteristically painful with the details of mortality'. It is challenging to relate the historical development of the sociology of death and dying because the study of death has been so interdisciplinary that it is tough to disentangle the many strands of research and scholarship from the distinct disciplines that have addressed the social dimensions of death and dying.

Because of the convoluted combine of interdisciplinary social science research and scholarship that has made up the corpus of information in the study of death and dying, some writers have been more prone to use somewhat more generic labels than the sociology of death, the psychology of death, and so on. Some have grouped the literature on this theme into the more general theme of “death education”, while others have spoken on the subject of the “death awareness movement”. In the case of the previous, Pine reflects that “Death Education as an academic discipline [italics added] is a fairly latest occurrence, dating from the early 1960's”.

 

Society and Death

The work of sociologists in the study of dying, death and bereavement ...