Death and Bereavement Across Cultures

by Colin Murray Parkes (Editor), Pittu Laungani (Editor), William Lewis Young (Editor)

All societies have their own customs and beliefs surrounding death. In the West, traditional ways of mourning are disappearing, and though science has had a major impact on views of death, it has taught us little about the way to die or to grieve. Many who come into contact with the dying and the bereaved from other cultures are at a loss to know how to offer appropriate and sensitive support.
Death and Bereavement Across Cultures , provides a handbook with which to meet the needs of doctors, nurses, social workers, counsellors and others involved in the care of the dying and bereaved. Written by international authorities in the field, this important text:
* describes the rituals and beliefs of major world religions
* explains their psychological and historical context
* shows how customs change on contact with the West
* considers the implications for the future
This book explores the richness of mourning traditions around the world with the aim of increasing the understanding which we all bring to the issue of death.

Genres: Death, Grief, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Psychology, Spirituality

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is almost 20 years old, but this collection of essays about funerary and other mourning customs in different cultures (Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, humanist, smaller societies) is very helpful reading. You might be surprised to learn how different the responses are to the deaths of infants, children, men and women, or how gender-specific some of the roles are, or how children may, or may not be, included among mourners, or how long the periods of mourning are in some some societies. Each essay has a helpful summary at the end. Recommended.

[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I'm glad I read this book, it did not quite live up to the high hopes I had for this book. The book sacrifices depth for the sake of breadth. There are chapters covering death and bereavement rituals of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Tibetan Buddhists. Given that this book is only a little over 200 pages, needless to say, none of the chapters are very detailed or even close to being comprehensive. So perhaps this is a good introduction to this topic but for those looking for something with more substance, I wouldn't recommend this one.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a counselling course I am taking, and found it extremely helpful. In the increasingly secular western world we have distanced ourselves from the traditional intertwining of religion with attitudes to death. With belief in heaven and hell waning (although not necessarily belief in the ‘soul’) there is little to either anticipate or fear about being dead, and our focus has thus moved from the transition of the dying person to the effect their death has on those left behind. Bereft of religious rituals which set out both how to die and how to grieve, we have separated ourselves from death, attempting to ignore it, and so all too often when confronted by it do not know how to handle it. This book has chapters on how all the major religions manage death and bereavement, what customs and ceremonies they espouse, and how they relate to each other and to the more secular world we have become used to. It is easy to assume that whatever you think and believe is the ‘right’ way to be, and to judge other cultures by their similarities or differences to what is familiar to you. This book attempts to strip back such assumptions and make us face them for what they are – inbuilt prejudices that prevent us from empathising with others as well as we might otherwise be able to. This book would benefit anyone working in a caring profession. Awareness, understanding and empathy are inextricably linked together and we could all use more of all three.

[A Ashill · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! I read Caroline Lloyd's Grief Demystified first (loved that!), then moved onto this book for more depth. As a therapist its important to understand the cultural background of your bereaved clients and this was fantastic.

[Lisa Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent source of information on death customs across cultures. Best source I’ve come across. Written in an applicable manner; every chapter starts with a scenario to illustrate each culture’s traditions, rituals, and expectations. Highly recommend.

[Geof Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book clearly couldn't make up its mind about what it wanted to be. A counseling manual? A phenomenological list of grieving rituals within major world religions? Either way, the summaries at the end of each chapter were infantilizing, and I would expect better from an academic work.

[Dr Dyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books on death and bereavement.

[Samuel Snoek-Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a guide for hospice workers and end-of-life care providers, this book is sometimes woefully vague. But given the ambitious scope of what it seeks to accomplish--providing introductions to or overviews of cultural attitudes toward death and bereavement rituals across the world--this is perhaps a necessary flaw in the book. I grew up in a Christian household, for instance, and so found the chapter on Christianity disappointingly broad. I am currently a Buddhist, and I conversely found the chapter on Tibetan burial practices too narrowly focused. But the chapters on Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism were, for me, fascinating, and the chapter on secular Humanism, though at times too aggressively anti-religious for my tastes, was equally educational. I think the serious student of world cultures, world religions, and/or death and bereavement would be wise to find whole books on each subject, because these chapters just don't get the job done--but as an introduction to such studies, this book worked out pretty well, and would probably serve nicely as a handy refresher reference to keep on the shelf.

[Darcy Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a textbook on working with and understanding the views and practices of different cultures when it comes to death and dying. Parts of it are quite good, especially that of the chapter on Tibetan Buddhism. However, the chapter on Christian practices is weak and written by someone who has spent little time around anyone who actually holds Christian beliefs. Written for health care providers in the UK, it's worth a look, but not a second read.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in a very sensitive and tactful manner, by a person(s) who have a great
deal of cultural and spiritual understanding. It gives an overview of all the main religions & cultures
and how they deal with death & bereavement. I enjoyed reading also the effects secularization has
on the grief process. The chapter on child death & bereavement was important to me. I found this book very helpful and opens up many understandings and questions. I got a lot of food for thought.

[AndreaD'A · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very informative - informed the reader of different cultural and religious aspects. Interesting!

[RN Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

read it as an assigment for grief counseling certifcation,, informative

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diverse, informative, insightful.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less specific as I hoped it would have been.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and informational.