Researching Death, Dying and Bereavement
This book examines research on death, dying and bereavement, and how our approaches, perceptions and expectations shapes what we can know about the end of life. The contributions include personal and professional reflections, and practical suggestions for conducting research in this field.
The volume stems from the resurgence of the international and interdisciplinary study of death in the last 20 years. Within this, empirical research is often viewed as sensitive, but little has been written about the experience of conducting research in this area. There has thus been little reflection on the opportunities and challenges faced in undertaking research as the field of death studies grows, including the accommodation and recognition of cultural differences. This volume seeks to in part address this gap.
The chapters in this book were originally published in the journals Mortality and Death Studies.
Erica Borgstrom is a medical anthropologist currently based at the Open University, UK. Her teaching and research focuses on death and dying, with a particular emphasis on end-of-life care. For the past six years she has researched how end-of-life care policy in England is shaping healthcare practice and how this relates (or not) to peoples experiences of care and everyday life.
Julie Ellis is a Research Associate in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her primary research interests are in the areas of identity, material culture and personal relationships at the end of life. She is currently working on a research project which explores the impact of visual technology on traditional foetal and neonatal autopsy practices.
Kate Woodthorpe is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Bath, UK. She is the editor of Death and Social Policy in Challenging Times (with Foster, 2016) and The Matter of Death: Space, place and materiality (with Hockey and Komaromy, 2010). Her research interests include funeral practices and the question of familial obligation. She is the editor of the journal Mortality.
Researching Death, Dying and Bereavement
Edited by
Erica Borgstrom, Julie Ellis and Kate Woodthorpe
First published 2018
by Routledge
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Contents
Citation Information
The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of European Public Policy, volume 24, issue 6 (May 2017). When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:
The chapters in this book were originally published in special issues of Mortality and Death Studies. When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:
Introduction
Introduction: researching death, dying and bereavement
Erica Borgstrom and Julie Ellis
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2, (May 2017), pp. 93104
Chapter 1
Reflecting on death: The emotionality of the research encounter
Kate Woodthorpe
Mortality, volume 14, issue 1 (February 2009), pp. 7086
Chapter 2
Doing death: Reflecting on the researchers subjectivity and emotions
Renske C. Visser
Death Studies, volume 41, issue 1 (2017), pp. 613
Chapter 3
Trans-Atlantic death methods: disciplinarity shared and challenged by a common language
Candi K. Cann and John Troyer
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2 (May 2017), pp. 105117
Chapter 4
Interpreting grief in Senegal: language, emotions and cross-cultural translation in a francophone African context
Ruth Evans, Jane Ribbens McCarthy, Fatou Kb, Sophie Bowlby and Josphine Wouango
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2 (May 2017), pp. 118135
Chapter 5
Images of fatal violence: negotiating the dark heart of death research
Rebecca Scott Bray
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2 (May 2017), pp. 136154
Chapter 6
Auto/biographical approaches to researching death and bereavement: connections, continuums, contrasts
Michael Brennan and Gayle Letherby
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2 (May 2017), pp. 155169
Chapter 7
Negotiating post-research encounters: reflections on learning of participant deaths following a qualitative study
Meridith Clare Burles
Mortality, volume 22, issue 2 (May 2017), pp. 170180
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Notes on Contributors
Erica Borgstrom is a medical anthropologist currently based at the Open University, UK.
Sophie Bowlby is Visiting Professor of Human Geography at the Department of Geography, University of Loughborough, UK.
Rebecca Scott Bray is Co-Director at the Sydney Institute of Criminology and Senior Lecturer in Socio-Legal Studies at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney, Australia.
Michael Brennan is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Department of Social Science, Liverpool Hope University, UK.
Meridith Clare Burles is based at the College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Candi K. Cann teaches World Cultures, Social World, World Religions, Death and Dying in World Religions and Buddhism at Honors College, Baylor University, USA.
Julie Ellis is a Research Associate in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK.
Ruth Evans is Associate Professor at the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, UK.
Fatou Kb is based at the Laboratoire de Recherches sur les Transformations Economiques and Sociales, Institut Fondamental dAfrique Noire, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal.
