Main description:

The Handbook of the Sociology of Death, Grief, and Bereavement sets issues of death and dying in a broad and holistic social context. Its three parts explore classical sociology, developments in sociological thought, and the ways that sociological insights can be useful across a broad spectrum of grief-related topics and concerns. Guidance is given in each chapter to help spur readers to examine other topics in thanatology through a sociological lens. Scholars, students, and professionals will come away from the handbook with a nuanced understanding of the social context -cultural differences, power relations, the role of social processes and institutions, and various other sociological factors - that shape grief experiences.

Contents:

Contents

Foreword - Dr. Bob Bendiksen, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Preface

Acknowledgements

The editors

The contributors

Introduction

PART ONE

Sociological Foundations

Introduction to Part One

Emile Durkheim
Michael Brennan, England, UK

Max Weber
Jodie Croxall, Wales, UK and Michael Brennan, England, UK

Marxism
Neil Thompson, Wales, UK

George Herbert Mead
Gerry R. Cox, USA

Erving Goffman
Gerry R. Cox, USA

Women's Contributions to Classical Sociology
June Allan, Australia

PART TWO

Sociological Developments

Introduction to Part Two

Michel Foucault
Neil Thompson and Eryl Owen, Wales, UK

Pierre Bourdieu
Neil Small, England, UK

Existentialism
Neil Thompson, Wales, UK

Continuing Bonds
Dennis Klass, USA

An Egalitarian Perspective
Darcy Harris, Canada

Disenfranchised Grief
Neil Thompson, Wales, UK and Kenneth Doka, USA

PART THREE

Contemporary Issues and Debates

Introduction to Part Three

Dark Tourism
Erin Dermody, Canada

Aging and Ageism
Sue Thompson, Wales, UK

Alcohol and Other Drug Use
Wulf Livingston, Wales, UK

Culturally Competent Practice
Neil Thompson, Wales, UK

Toward a Sociology of Terrorism
Gerry R. Cox, USA and Neil Thompson, Wales, UK

Is Grief a Disease? The Medicalization of Grief by the Psy-Disciplines in the 21st Century
Leeat Granek, Israel

Being-in-the-World of the Sociological Imagination: Understanding Living with and Beyond Cancer
Jan Pascal and Olivia Sagan, England, UK

Death, Grief, and Virtual Connections: The Role of Social Media for Social Support and Memorialization
Kathleen R. Gilbert, USA

Infertility and Loss: Conception and Motherhood in the Era of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Iris Po Yee Lo and Celia Hoi Yan Chan

The Demise of Accountability in Public Services: A Dilemma Exemplified by the Hidden Sepsis Crisis
Paul Stepney, Finland

The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Grieving
Neil Thompson, Wales, UK

A Cultural Sociological Review of Chinese Funeral Rituals

Sharon Chan and Amy Chow, Hong Kong, China

Afterword - Dr. Inge Corless, USA

Index