Managing Death: International Perspectives

There is a huge collection of literature relating to death, grief and bereavement, but one aspect that has received relatively little attention is that of death management practices (by which we mean the various ways of managing the circumstances of the death, ritually acknowledging it and sensitively handling the disposal of the body and so on). While ways of disposing of the dead and grief practices have been thought of as based upon individual responses, grief and bereavement practices can be understood not only by looking at psychological and medical frameworks, but also by examining people as part of a complex structure of social arrangements, institutions, structures, and patterns. By examining the social and institutional structures of various groups around the world, we provide an international framework for a better understanding of the study of dying, death, and bereavement.

This book highlights the significance of these matters in an international context, reflecting common themes and important differences. It will highlight common themes across diverse cultures and national settings, while also drawing attention to significant differences. If professionals working in the field of death, grief and bereavement are not aware of such differences, their practice can be insensitive, discriminatory and therefore ineffective, if not actually counterproductive.

 As such, the book provides an invaluable resource for a wide variety of professionals and students, including medicine and health care; social work; counselling and psychotherapy; chaplaincy and pastoral work; and, of course, those involved in the funeral industry. In addition, students of sociology, psychology and anthropology will find much of interest here in terms of appreciating the diversity of ways in which funerals and other death management practices are managed and integrated into social life. 

Gerry R. Cox is a professor emeritus of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he served as the director of the Center for Death Education & Bioethics. His teaching focused upon theory/theory construction; deviance and criminology; death and dying; social psychology; and minority peoples. He has over 150 publications, including over 30 books. He has served as editor of Illness, Crisis & Loss and for The Midwest Sociologist. He is a member of the International Work Group on Dying, Death and Bereavement, the Midwest Sociological Society, the American Sociological Association, the International Sociological Association, Phi Kappa Phi, and the Great Plains Sociological Society. He served on the board of directors of the National Prison Hospice Association.

Neil Thompson is an independent writer, educator, and adviser. Formerly a univer­sity professor, he is currently a visiting professor at the Open University in the UK. He is also the Vice President of Vigoroom UK, a sophisticated employee well­ness platform. He has been a speaker at conferences and seminars in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey, India, Hong Kong, Canada, the United States, and Australia. He holds a Lifetime Achievement Award from BASW Cymru, the Welsh branch of the British Association of Social Workers and the Dr. Robert Fulton Award for excellence in the field of death, grief, and bereavement from the Center for Death Education and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He is a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement. His website, with his acclaimed Manifesto for Making a Difference, is at www.NeilThompson.info.

Both are well-published authors and editors. Together they have produced: The Handbook of Traumatic Loss (Eds. with R. Stevenson), Routledge, 2017. The Handbook of the Sociology of Death, Grief, and Bereavement (Eds.). Routledge, 2018. Promoting Resilience: Responding to adversity, vulnerability and loss (Eds.). Routledge, 2019. Death and Dying: Sociological Perspectives, Routledge, 2020.