Beyond the Veil : Reflexive Studies of Death and Dying

Looking at the cultural responses to death and dying, this collection explores the emotional aspects that death provokes in humans, whether it is disgust, fear, awe, sadness, anger, or even joy. Whereas most studies of death and dying treat the subject from an objective viewpoint, the scholars in this collection recognize their inherent connection with death which allows for a new and more personal form of study. More broadly, this collection suggests a new paradigm in the study of death and dying. Contents List of Figures Introduction • Aubrey Thamann and Kalliopi M Christodoulaki Part I. Delaying Death 1. An Absent Presence: The Co-constitution of Loss • Alison Witchard 2. Immortality and Existential Terror: Learning the Language of Living Forever • Jeremy Cohen Part II. Caregiving 3. Living, Caring, and Dying: Music and the House of Endless Losses • Carina Nandlal 4. Death and Fulfi llment: Mortuary Performance and the Impact on Self • Kalliopi M Christodoulaki Part III. Confronting Death 5. Crossroads: Life and Death in Indiana • Aubrey Thamann 6. “What Has the Field Done to You?” Researching Death, Dying, and Bereavement between Closeness and Distance • Ekkehard Coenen 7. The Historical Study of Death and Dying: The Intersection of Familial Stories and Catholic Rituals • Sarah Nytroe Part IV. Memorialization 8. Touch ’Em All: Memorializing Harmon Killebrew • Debbie A. Hanson 9. After Life: Laying Flower Memes on My Mother’s Grave and the Recollective Realm of Life after Death • Olivia Guntarik and Claudia Bellote 10. A Monumental Problem: Memorializing the Jonestown Dead • Rebecca Moore 11. Long Live Chill: Exploring Grief, Memorial, and Ritual within African American R.I.P. T-shirt Culture • Kami Fletcher Conclusion • Kalliopi M Christodoulaki and Aubrey Thamann Index "Looking at the cultural responses to death and dying, this collection explores the emotional aspects that death provokes in humans, whether it is disgust, fear, awe, sadness, anger, or even joy. Whereas most studies of death and dying treat the subject from an objective viewpoint, the scholars in this collection recognize their inherent connection with death which allows for a new and more personal form of study. More broadly, this collection suggests a new paradigm in the study of death and dying"-- Provided by publisher