Social interpretations of Death Rituals
Teen Beliefs about death
Beyond Heaven: Young people's attitudes toward heaven and the afterlife [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537903.2012.722291?src=recsys&journalCode=cjcr20]
Adolescent responses to the social taboo around death
1. Background stuff
Dying to Talk (blog) https://dyingtotalk.wordpress.com/
Billy Connelly’s Big Send Off http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/billy-connollys-big-send-off/
Compass: Faith and Funerals http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s4032525.htm
Key book (I think):
Death and Dying: A Sociological Perspective Avaliable at Maquarie, Syney and NSW Unis and State Library. If you think it’s amazing I would consider buying this for our library (very expensive – need to know you’ve looked at it and it’s awesome)
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/25326899?q=death+and+dying+a+sociological+introduction&c=book&versionId=44898649
Key Journal:
OMEGA, an international journal for the study of dying, death, bereavement, suicide, and other lethal behaviors is on EBSCO Host database so you should be able to access this through your local library. Do an advanced search for terms like “teen” and “taboo”.
2. Types of Taboos (definitions of what you’re fighting against)
Bodies and minds are socially constructed – how do taboos influence this?
Sociological perspective (which theorist?): Death disrupts social order (Is this main reason for taboo? If so, how can social order be rebuilt without taboo?)
To answer these questions you may find that you need to look at the difference between real-world events/experiences and their significance in the symbolic world of sociological interpretations. If these concepts become important in your work, you’ll need to look at Weber’s ideas about how subjective interactions create different (and very changeable) forms of social cohesion
Key concept: The Death Paradigm See definition p 63 https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Emotional taboos
Non-socially sanctioned reactions
Anger
Fear
Survivor’s guilt
Inheritance battles
Language taboos
QUERY: What’s the actual social role of a taboo? Bound to be lots of anthropological studies on this.
Media TaboosShowing death in the media is less taboo than it used to be (think about the beheading on front pages a few years ago!) , and tv shows and movies depict more and more graphic representations of death. Does this reflect a shift in the taboos around death?
Is death in the western world now a commodity that can be marketed? (not just related to media production but all the industries of palliative care, funerals and euthanasia) Has this changed the function of death/the extent to which it disrupts the social order?
Death in a Global Age is very readable and looks at this aspect: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false I am ordering it for our library; expect it to be here in a week.
3. Causes of Taboos
Sociological interpretationsDurkheim – key concepts sacred and profane – conflict leads to taboos See p 63 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Mary Douglas – taboos maintain boundaries between sacred and profane (Key work on taboos : Purity and Danger. Very different from your research but has useful definitions and approaches and this version is annotated by a uni lecturer which might make it easier to digest. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/schloesser/HS041-042/fall/w04/resources/DOUGLAS_Purity-Danger.pdf )
MoviesThis article seems to give a teen reaction to media representations of death, not necessarily from the point of view of bereavement, though http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13576275.2014.916257
Myths created to maintain taboos
4. How people react to taboos
Ways we reinforce themFeeling of guilt
Worry about being a burden
Body language
Ways we circumvent themSetting up support groups
Artworks
Coping Strategies (Don’t go off in the tangent of coping with bereavement)
Social function of funeral/mourning periods
Mc Manus sees this as being about belonging and social cohesion. See chapter 6 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Religon
Talking
Black humour
Appearance of normality
Art
Memorialising - See chapter 6 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Death Anxiety and Denial
Death, Society and Human experience – this book is less useful because it uses literature and other cultural studies approaches rather than just sociology. However, the intro is online (with hyperlinks from contents!) and includes an excellent examination of Death Anxiety. The book is available at UWS library.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=G_o5CgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi38JKXo8vKAhWlMKYKHaxrDHU4PBDoAQhQMAk#v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
5. Recommendations: What is needed for young people experiencing bereavement
Death Café
Canteen-type stuff
Project (objectifies feelings)
Death of a Parent looks like it might be good in this area, especially for contextualising your primary data. It is held at Uni of Sydney nad UWS, plus city of Sydeny, Randwick, Blacktown and Bankstown public libraries. It looks at the effects of death on teens and coping strategies that work, and uses in-depth interviews as a key methodology (should give you lots of ideas for conducting your own interviews) DEFINATLY GET THIS FROM A LOCAL LIBRARY!
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=iMax_JJUiL4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=fkioYG4vJvEC&pg=PA1&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8ob6uo8vKAhUEKKYKHcBdBo44UBDoAQhIMAg#v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Other books that might be useful:
Constructing Death – this book is aimed at postgraduate students and professional so it’s heavy going, and it’s mostly from the point of view of the process of dying. However, the introduction and Chapter 3: The social Aspect of Death are worth reading because they reference all sorts of theoretical perspectives from sociology and anthropology about how death is socially constructed. They’ll also give you some awesome academic vocabulary to use in your final product so that you look extra intelligent!
http://multisearch.mq.edu.au/primo_library/libweb/action/dlSearch.do?vid=MQ&institution=MQ&search_scope=alma&query=isbn,exact,0521595096
Available at Maquarie Uni, Sydney Uni and State Library
Dying to Talk (blog) https://dyingtotalk.wordpress.com/
Billy Connelly’s Big Send Off http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/billy-connollys-big-send-off/
Compass: Faith and Funerals http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s4032525.htm
Key book (I think):
Death and Dying: A Sociological Perspective Avaliable at Maquarie, Syney and NSW Unis and State Library. If you think it’s amazing I would consider buying this for our library (very expensive – need to know you’ve looked at it and it’s awesome)
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/25326899?q=death+and+dying+a+sociological+introduction&c=book&versionId=44898649
Key Journal:
OMEGA, an international journal for the study of dying, death, bereavement, suicide, and other lethal behaviors is on EBSCO Host database so you should be able to access this through your local library. Do an advanced search for terms like “teen” and “taboo”.
2. Types of Taboos (definitions of what you’re fighting against)
Bodies and minds are socially constructed – how do taboos influence this?
Sociological perspective (which theorist?): Death disrupts social order (Is this main reason for taboo? If so, how can social order be rebuilt without taboo?)
To answer these questions you may find that you need to look at the difference between real-world events/experiences and their significance in the symbolic world of sociological interpretations. If these concepts become important in your work, you’ll need to look at Weber’s ideas about how subjective interactions create different (and very changeable) forms of social cohesion
Key concept: The Death Paradigm See definition p 63 https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Emotional taboos
Non-socially sanctioned reactions
Anger
Fear
Survivor’s guilt
Inheritance battles
Language taboos
QUERY: What’s the actual social role of a taboo? Bound to be lots of anthropological studies on this.
Media TaboosShowing death in the media is less taboo than it used to be (think about the beheading on front pages a few years ago!) , and tv shows and movies depict more and more graphic representations of death. Does this reflect a shift in the taboos around death?
Is death in the western world now a commodity that can be marketed? (not just related to media production but all the industries of palliative care, funerals and euthanasia) Has this changed the function of death/the extent to which it disrupts the social order?
Death in a Global Age is very readable and looks at this aspect: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false I am ordering it for our library; expect it to be here in a week.
3. Causes of Taboos
Sociological interpretationsDurkheim – key concepts sacred and profane – conflict leads to taboos See p 63 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Mary Douglas – taboos maintain boundaries between sacred and profane (Key work on taboos : Purity and Danger. Very different from your research but has useful definitions and approaches and this version is annotated by a uni lecturer which might make it easier to digest. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/schloesser/HS041-042/fall/w04/resources/DOUGLAS_Purity-Danger.pdf )
MoviesThis article seems to give a teen reaction to media representations of death, not necessarily from the point of view of bereavement, though http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13576275.2014.916257
Myths created to maintain taboos
4. How people react to taboos
Ways we reinforce themFeeling of guilt
Worry about being a burden
Body language
Ways we circumvent themSetting up support groups
Artworks
Coping Strategies (Don’t go off in the tangent of coping with bereavement)
Social function of funeral/mourning periods
Mc Manus sees this as being about belonging and social cohesion. See chapter 6 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Religon
Talking
Black humour
Appearance of normality
Art
Memorialising - See chapter 6 in Death in a Global Age – I’m buying this book for you! https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2DQdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA251&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3s7rpocvKAhUn2qYKHa3CClg4ChDoAQhJMAc%20-%20v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false#v=snippet&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Death Anxiety and Denial
Death, Society and Human experience – this book is less useful because it uses literature and other cultural studies approaches rather than just sociology. However, the intro is online (with hyperlinks from contents!) and includes an excellent examination of Death Anxiety. The book is available at UWS library.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=G_o5CgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi38JKXo8vKAhWlMKYKHaxrDHU4PBDoAQhQMAk#v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
5. Recommendations: What is needed for young people experiencing bereavement
Death Café
Canteen-type stuff
Project (objectifies feelings)
Death of a Parent looks like it might be good in this area, especially for contextualising your primary data. It is held at Uni of Sydney nad UWS, plus city of Sydeny, Randwick, Blacktown and Bankstown public libraries. It looks at the effects of death on teens and coping strategies that work, and uses in-depth interviews as a key methodology (should give you lots of ideas for conducting your own interviews) DEFINATLY GET THIS FROM A LOCAL LIBRARY!
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=iMax_JJUiL4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=fkioYG4vJvEC&pg=PA1&dq=sociology+journal+death&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8ob6uo8vKAhUEKKYKHcBdBo44UBDoAQhIMAg#v=onepage&q=sociology%20journal%20death&f=false
Other books that might be useful:
Constructing Death – this book is aimed at postgraduate students and professional so it’s heavy going, and it’s mostly from the point of view of the process of dying. However, the introduction and Chapter 3: The social Aspect of Death are worth reading because they reference all sorts of theoretical perspectives from sociology and anthropology about how death is socially constructed. They’ll also give you some awesome academic vocabulary to use in your final product so that you look extra intelligent!
http://multisearch.mq.edu.au/primo_library/libweb/action/dlSearch.do?vid=MQ&institution=MQ&search_scope=alma&query=isbn,exact,0521595096
Available at Maquarie Uni, Sydney Uni and State Library