Death and Dying in America

by Fontana, Andrea; Keene, Jennifer Reid

• ISBN13: 9780745639147
• ISBN10: 0745639143
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-07-20
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

This engaging new book takes a fresh approach to the major topics surrounding the processes and rituals of death and dying in the United States. It emphasizes individual experiences and personal reactions to death as well as placing mortality within a wider social context, drawing on theoretical frameworks, empirical research and popular culture. Throughout the text the authors highlight the importance of two key factors in American society which determine who dies and under what circumstances: persistent social inequality and the American consumerist ethic. These features are explored through a discussion of topics ranging from debates about euthanasia to deaths resulting from war and terrorism; from the death of a child to children's experience of grieving and bereavement; and from beliefs about life after death to more practical issues such as the disposal of the dead body. Drawing on sociological, anthropological, philosophical, and historical research the authors present the salient features of death and dying for upper-level students across the social sciences. For anyone interested in learning more about the end of life, this book will provide a useful and accessible perspective on the uniquely American understanding of death and dying.

Author Biography

Andrea Fontana, Professor of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Jennifer Reid Keene, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Table of Contents

Detailed Contents	p. vi
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Death and Culture
An American View of Death	p. 3
Changing Demographic and Cultural Aspects of Death	p. 9
Death and its Aftermath
Where Dying Takes Place	p. 29
Dying	p. 47
Funeral Practices	p. 67
Individual and Collective Death
Children and Death	p. 93
Death and Destruction	p. 117
Coping with Death
Giving Bad News	p. 141
The Grieving Process	p. 161
Life after Death	p. 179
Conclusion	p. 197
Notes	p. 203
References	p. 205
Index	p. 227
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