tailieunhanh - Representations of Death

Standing alone in a viewing chapel in a London funeral parlour almost a decade ago I was struck by the impossibility of coming to terms with the fact that one day I too would be lying in a spot-lit niche like the one before me. How could I become an inert object, not experiencing the scene, not there to tell the story? I have been studying death ever since. To be honest I cannot say that my efforts to come to terms with this aspect of life have been totally successful. Our mortality is a troubling matter. Yet my interest in the topic of death has. | Representations of Death  Social Psychological Perspective Mary Bradbury hưeutưd by Robert Farr PbotOgrjpbf by Peter Ranter R Representations of Death An extraordinary world where the dead are examined certified registered embalmed viewed and finally cremated or buried is revealed in this ethnographic account of contemporary British mortuary practices. Going behind the scenes the author explores the interplay between rituals and representations and in the process critiques traditional models of grief. Representations of Death makes use of the social psychological theory of social representations and draws upon fascinating and often poignant data. Illuminating the perspectives of both the grieving relatives and the deathwork professionals Bradbury shows how talk about a person s death focuses upon its perceived goodness or naturalness . Arguing that these social representations are an expression of our need to make death familiar she demonstrates how they are anchored and objectified in current mortuary practices. Illustrated with stunning photographs Representations of Death will be essential reading for anyone interested in death grief and bereavement. Mary Bradbury is a researcher and freelance lecturer. She is currently training at the Institute of Psycho-analysis .