Handbook of the Sociology of Death, Grief, and Bereavement

Neil Thompson, PhD, DLitt, is a writer and online tutor and a visiting professor at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, Wales, where he teaches on the MSc Advanced Practice in the Human Services. Gerry R. Cox, PhD, is professor emeritus of sociology/archaeology and former director of the Center for Death Education and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

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