The sociology of death : theory, culture, practice
David Clark (Editor)
There are several paradoxes that mark the management of dying and death in industrialized nations. Journalists, clinicians, and scholars tend to describe death and dying as tabooed subjects, yet there is an increasing literature about these topics. Another paradox is built into contemporary management of illness via a conspicuous array of medical technology. As this technology has increased in sophistication, it has contributed to the suppression of infectious diseases, longterm illness, and led to lengthening lifetimes. Many argue that attention to death as a central feature of life can and should revolutionize the study and understanding of contemporary societies. The papers in this book address a range of topics, investigating less traditional concerns vis-a-vis death and dying. This timely and stimulating book includes papers which begin to link sociological studies of death with those of historical and political discourse
Print Book, English, 1993
Blackwell Publishers/The Sociological Review, Oxford, UK, 1993