Patterns of Death, 1800-2020: Global rates and causes The Routledge History of Death since 1800, Chapter 1

The Routledge History of Death Since 1800 looks at how death has been treated and dealt with in modern history – the history of the past 250 years – in a global context, through a mix of definite, often quantifiable changes and a complex, qualitative assessment of the subject. The book is divided into three parts, with the first considering major trends in death history and identifying widespread patterns of change and continuity in the material and cultural features of death since 1800. The second part turns to specifically regional experiences, and the third offers more specialized chapters on key topics in the modern history of death. Historical findings and debates feed directly into a current and prospective assessment of death, as many societies transition into patterns of ageing that will further alter the death experience and challenge modern reactions. Thus, a final chapter probes this topic, by way of introducing the links between historical experience and current trajectories, ensuring that the book gives the reader a framework for assessing the ongoing process, as well as an understanding of the past. Global in focus and linking death to a variety of major developments in modern global history, the volume is ideal for all those interested in the multifaceted history of how death is dealt with in different societies over time and who want access to the rich and growing historiography on the subject. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license at https://tandfbis.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9780429028274_oachapter1.pdf. The Routledge History of Death Since 1800 looks at how death has been treated and dealt with in modern history – the history of the past 250 years – in a global context, through a mix of definite, often quantifiable changes and a complex, qualitative assessment of the subject. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of images 9 List of figures 10 List of tables 11 List of contributors 12 Introduction 18 PART 1: General patterns and connections 36 1. Patterns of death, 1800–2020: global rates and causes 38 2. Mass death during modern epidemics: horrors and their consequences 62 3. Violent death 80 4. Suicidology on the cusp of modernity: sociology and psychiatry in the nineteenth century 94 5. Death-seeking turns political: a historical template for terrorism 109 6. Toward a world without the death penalty 126 7. The cemetery 140 8. Death, commemoration, and the era of total war in Europe 153 9. The transformation of death discourse: from ‘taboo’ to ‘revival’ at the threshold of the new millennium 169 PART II: Regional patterns 192 10. ‘Why may not man be one day immortal?’: rethinking death in the age of enlightenment 194 11. “Now for the grand secret”: a history of the post-mortem identity and Heavenly reunions, 1800–2000 211 12. Death in modern North American history 230 13. Death in Mexico: image and reality 252 14. Death in modern Japan (1800–2020) 271 15. Picturing the dead in early twentieth-century China: bodies, burial, and the photography of the Chinese Red Cross Burial Corps 289 16. Remaking the Hindu pyre: cremation in India since the 1830s 305 17. Muslim beliefs about death: from classical formulations to modern applications 321 18. Death in Africa: a history c.1800 to present day 337 19. Rituals of death in the Caribbean diaspora, 1970–: the immigrant dilemmas 353 PART III: Special topics 368 20. Premature burial and the mysteries of death 370 21. Murdering mothers and dutiful daughters: infanticide in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexico 389 22. “I wish we could have saved him for you”: Australia’s experience of death and bereavement in war, 1914–1918 405 23. Soviet cemeteries 423 24. Death in modern film 440 25. Of presidential mausoleums and politics in neo-liberal Zambia, 2008 to 2018 458 26. Celebrating creation and commemorating life: ritualizing pet death in the U.S. and Japan 477 27. Hospice: a way to die 498 28. “A profound shift in policy”: the history of assisted suicide 516 29. Future trajectories of death: issues and possibilities 534 Index 551 "Introduction; 1 Patterns of death,1800–2020: global rates and causes; 2 Mass death during modern epidemics: horrors and their consequences; 3 Violent death; 4 Suicidology on the cusp of modernity: sociology and psychiatry in the nineteenth century; 5 Death-seeking turns political: a historical template for terrorism; 6 Toward a world without the death penalty; 7 The cemetery; 8 Death,commemoration,and the era of total war in Europe; 9 The transformation of death discourse: from ‘taboo’ to ‘revival’ at the threshold of the new millennium; 10 ‘Why may not man be one day immortal?’: rethinking death in the age of enlightenment; 11 “Now for the grand secret”: a history of the post-mortem identity and Heavenly reunions,1800–2000; 12 Death in modern North American history; 13 Death in Mexico: image and reality; 14 Death in modern Japan (1800–2020); 15 Picturing the dead in early twentieth-century China: bodies,burial,and the photography of the Chinese Red Cross Burial Corps; 16 Remaking the Hindu pyre: cremation in India since the 1830s; 17 Muslim beliefs about death: from classical formulations to modern applications; 18 Death in Africa: a history c.1800 to present day; 19 Rituals of death in the Caribbean diaspora,1970–: the immigrant dilemmas; 20 Premature burial and the mysteries of death; 21 Murdering mothers and dutiful daughters: infanticide in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexico; 22 “I wish we could have saved him for you”: Australia’s experience of death and bereavement in war,1914–1918; 23 Soviet cemeteries; 24 Death in modern film; 25 Of presidential mausoleums and politics in neo-liberal Zambia,2008 to 2018; 26 Celebrating creation and commemorating life: ritualizing pet death in the U.S. and Japan; 27 Hospice: a way to die; 28 “A profound shift in policy”: the history of assisted suicide; 29 Future trajectories of death: issues and possibilities" Introduction; 1 Patterns of death, 1800–2020: global rates and causes; 2 Mass death during modern epidemics: horrors and their consequences; 3 Violent death; 4 Suicidology on the cusp of modernity: sociology and psychiatry in the nineteenth century; 5 Death-seeking turns political: a historical template for terrorism; 6 Toward a world without the death penalty; 7 The cemetery; 8 Death, commemoration, and the era of total war in Europe; 9 The transformation of death discourse: from ‘taboo’ to ‘revival’ at the threshold of the new millennium; 10 ‘Why may not man be one day immortal?’: rethinking death in the age of enlightenment; 11 “Now for the grand secret”: a history of the post-mortem identity and Heavenly reunions, 1800–2000; 12 Death in modern North American history; 13 Death in Mexico: image and reality; 14 Death in modern Japan (1800–2020); 15 Picturing the dead in early twentieth-century China: bodies, burial, and the photography of the Chinese Red Cross Burial Corps; 16 Remaking the Hindu pyre: cremation in India since the 1830s; 17 Muslim beliefs about death: from classical formulations to modern applications; 18 Death in Africa: a history c.1800 to present day; 19 Rituals of death in the Caribbean diaspora, 1970–: the immigrant dilemmas; 20 Premature burial and the mysteries of death; 21 Murdering mothers and dutiful daughters: infanticide in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexico; 22 “I wish we could have saved him for you”: Australia’s experience of death and bereavement in war, 1914–1918; 23 Soviet cemeteries; 24 Death in modern film; 25 Of presidential mausoleums and politics in neo-liberal Zambia, 2008 to 2018; 26 Celebrating creation and commemorating life: ritualizing pet death in the U.S. and Japan; 27 Hospice: a way to die; 28 “A profound shift in policy”: the history of assisted suicide; 29 Future trajectories of death: issues and possibilities General Patterns and Connections Patterns Of Death, 1800-2020: Global Rates And Causes Romola Davenport Mass Death During Modern Epidemics: Horrors and Their Consequences Samuel Cohn Violent Death Philip Dwyer Suicidology on the Cusp of Modernity: Sociology and Psychiatry in the 19th Century David Lederer Death-Seeking Turns Political: A Historical Template For Terrorism Anna Geifman Toward a World Without the Death Penalty Jon Yorke and Alice Storey The Cemetery Erin-Marie Legacey Death, Commemoration, and the Era Of Total War In Europe Jesse Kauffman The Transformation of Death Discourse: From ‘Taboo’ to ‘Revival’ at the Threshold of the New Millennium Michael Hviid Jacobsen Regional Patterns “Why may not man be one day immortal?”: Rethinking Death in the Age of Enlightenment Joseph Clarke "Now for the Grand Secret:" A History of the Post-Mortem Identity and Heavenly Reunions, 1800-2000 John C. Weaver and Doug Munro Death in Modern North American History Peter N. Stearns Death In Mexico: Image And Reality Stanley Brandes Death in Modern Japan (1800—2020) Timothy Benedict Picturing the Dead in Early Twentieth-Century China: Bodies, Burial, and the Photography of the Chinese Red Cross Burial Corps Caroline Reeves Remaking the Hindu Pyre: Cremation in India since the 1830s David Arnold Muslim Beliefs About Death; From Classical Formulations To Modern Applications Abdulaziz Sachedina Death in Africa: A History c.1800 to Present Day Rebekah Lee and Megan Vaughan Rituals Of Death In The Caribbean Diaspora, 1970-: The Immigrant Dilemmas Garrey Michael Dennie Special Topics Premature Burial and the Mysteries of Death Joanna Bourke Murdering Mothers and Dutiful Daughters: Infanticide in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Mexico Nora E. Jaffary ‘I wish we could have saved him for you’: Australia’s experience of death and bereavement in war, 1914-1918 Jen Roberts Soviet Cemeteries Svetlana Malysheva Death in Modern Film Thomas Britt Of Presidential Mausoleums and Politics in Neo-Liberal Zambia, 2008 to 2018 Walima T. Kalusa and Kelvin Chanda Celebrating Creation and Commemorating Life: Ritualizing Pet Death in the U.S. and Japan Barbara R. Ambros Hospice: A Way to Die Lucy Bregman “A Profound Shift In Policy”: The History Of Assisted Suicide Ian Dowbiggin Conclusion: Future Trajectories of Death: Speculations and Raising Questions Cortney Hughes Rinker The Routledge History of Death Since 1800 looks at how death has been treated and dealt with in modern history – the history of the past 250 years – in a global context, through a mix of definite, often quantifiable changes and a complex, qualitative assessment of the subject.The book is divided into three parts, with the first considering major trends in death history and identifying widespread patterns of change and continuity in the material and cultural features of death since 1800. The second part turns to specifically regional experiences, and the third offers more specialized chapters on key topics in the modern history of death. Historical findings and debates feed directly into a current and prospective assessment of death, as many societies transition into patterns of ageing that will further alter the death experience and challenge modern reactions. Thus, a final chapter probes this topic, by way of introducing the links between historical experience and current trajectories, ensuring that the book gives the reader a framework for assessing the ongoing process, as well as an understanding of the past.Global in focus and linking death to a variety of major developments in modern global history, the volume is ideal for all those interested in the multifaceted history of how death is dealt with in different societies over time and who want access to the rich and growing historiography on the subject.Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. __The Routledge History of Death Since 1800__ looks at how death has been treated and dealt with in modern history – the history of the past 250 years – in a global context, through a mix of definite, often quantifiable changes and a complex, qualitative assessment of the subject. The book is divided into three parts, with the first considering major trends in death history and identifying widespread patterns of change and continuity in the material and cultural features of death since 1800. The second part turns to specifically regional experiences, and the third offers more specialized chapters on key topics in the modern history of death. Historical findings and debates feed directly into a current and prospective assessment of death, as many societies transition into patterns of ageing that will further alter the death experience and challenge modern reactions. Thus, a final chapter probes this topic, by way of introducing the links between historical experience and current trajectories, ensuring that the book gives the reader a framework for assessing the ongoing process, as well as an understanding of the past. Global in focus and linking death to a variety of major developments in modern global history, the volume is ideal for all those interested in the multifaceted history of how death is dealt with in different societies over time and who want access to the rich and growing historiography on the subject. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. This chapter provides a brief introduction to mortality patterns over the last two centuries, from a global perspective. The period witnessed enormous and ubiquitous rises in life expectancy at birth, from a global average of perhaps 30 years in 1800 to an estimated average of 72.6 years in 2019. Remarkably, these changes took place despite a perhaps seven- to eight-fold increase of the world's population, and in the context of unprecedented increases in the speed and frequency of transmission of infectious diseases as a consequence of urbanization, colonization, technological change, and the globalization of trade. This chapter describes the gradual recession of famine and infectious diseases in now-developed countries before c.1870, the acceleration of improvements in life expectancy 1870-1940. and the much more rapid and global gains since the mid twentieth century, together with a brief account of some of the major reversals to these trends, including the HIV and smoking pandemics. It outlines the broad geography and chronology of changes in patterns of mortality, and introduces debates regarding the roles of economic growth and the roles of medicine and states. It concludes with a brief discussion of recent and future trends