Death and Identity

In this thoroughly revised third edition of Death & Identity, a book that, since its first edition in 1965, has become widely known as a classic in the field of death studies and sociology editors Robert Fulton and Robert Bendiksen offer an important collection of essays on death, grief and bereavement. Written by a distinguished group of international scholars and practitioners who approach the subject of death in modern society from a multidisciplinary perspective while emphasizing a sociological outlook, this book integrates the best of the wide body of important literature, research and public policy issues that relates to death. One of the most fascinating compendiums on the study of death in decades, Death & Identity is necessary reading for those interested in the study of life and death.

Adding thought-provoking introductions to each section of new and classic studies and articles, Fulton and Bendiksen skillfully weave together social structures, behavioral processes and disparate views of death in a way that will help the reader better comprehend the issues and problems that death engenders in modern society.

The theoretical discussions as well as the research reports in this book share the common goal of illuminating the problems that death poses to both society and the individual. Readers will gain a greater understanding of the unique, yet ubiquitous, place that death occupies in human life. This latest edition of Death & Identity will serve as a stimulus for the continued study of this ever-challenging subject.

CONTENTS

Part I: Perspectives on Death
Introduction
1. Death in Contemporary American Society - Robert Fulton, PhD
2. Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Death - Kathy Charmaz, PhD
3. Death in the Western World - Talcott Parsons, PhD
4. The Sociology of Death: A Historical Overview - Greg Owen, PhD, et al.
Part II: Grief and the Process of Mourning
5. The Mourning of Children - John Bowlby, MD
6. Grief and Mourning - John S. Stephenson, PhD
7. Is Grief Universal? Cultural Variations - Wolfgang Stroebe, PhD
Part 3: Bereavement and the Response to Death
8. Death at a Distance: A Study of Family Bereavement - Greg Owen, PhD, et al.
9. Religion and Bereavement: A Conceptual Framework - Robert Wuthnow, PhD., et al.
10. Business Temporal Norms and Bereavement Behavior - Lois Pratt, PhD
11. The Funeral in Contemporary Society - Robert Fulton, PhD
Part 4: Public Policies and Private Decisions
12. A Sociological Perspective in Medical Ethical Decision-making - Bernard J. Hammes, PhD
13. Death-Related Issues in Biomedicine: Euthanasia and AIDS - Robert H. Blank, PhD
14. The Hospice in the Context of an Aging Society - Judith A. Levy, PhD
15. AIDS: A Sociological Response - Robert Fulton, PhD
16. Social Policy Assumptions and Principles on Terminal Care - International Work Group on Death
Bibliography
Index

Death, bereavement, and related social and ethical issues are the focus of this revised book of essays (Wiley, 1965. 1st ed; Robert J. Brady, 1976, 2d ed.) by contributors from various disciplines. Sixteen scholarly articles are arranged in four sections, each with its own introductory essay. The sections address perspectives on death (sociological theory and methodological approaches), grief and the process of mourning, bereavement and the process of death, and public policies and private decisions (bioethical issues relating to terminal illness, euthanasia, and the treatment of AIDS). Studies on death by suicide, war, and violence are omitted, and while some cross-cultural works are briefly reviewed, the perspectives are primarily North American. Most appropriate as a supplementary reader in college courses, this book is recommended for academic libraries.
- Lucille Boone, San Jose P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.