Posts by Naomi Richards

Making Sense of Dying During the Covid-19 Pandemic  – How Can Classic Anthropological Theories Help Us?

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How can anthropological theories enhance understanding of how people dying of Covid-19 were treated during the height of the pandemic? Dr Marian Krawczyk and I are both anthropologists who teach and research about end of life. We felt there was value in highlighting some key theories which could aid public understanding. Our new 2023 article,… Continue reading

Paddleton: A Film Review

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This review was written by Kelly Oberle and Jennifer Rigal, both students on the End of Life Studies MSc programme at the University of Glasgow. In the fall of 2021, as students on the Assisted Dying: Rhetorics and Reality module in the End of Life Studies MSc program at the University of Glasgow, we were… Continue reading

Creating Representations of Dying, Death, and Grief: An Innovative Student Assignment

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On the End of Life Studies MSc Programme, there is a course entitled Cultural Representations of Death and Dying which examines how dying, death and grief have been represented in popular culture (film, TV, mainstream fiction), visual arts (fine art, photography) and literary genres (creative non- fiction) over the last half century. Students are introduced to… Continue reading

DeathWrites Network – 2nd Symposium

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The DeathWrites Network, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) and University of Glasgow Arts Lab, held its 2nd Symposium on 6th October, 2022. During the hybrid event at the historic Glasgow Women’s Library, we heard keynotes from the Scottish poet, playwright, and performer Hannah Lavery and from the Open Museum curator, Elaine Addington. Our Network of 30 talented Scotland-based writers,… Continue reading

Digital Stories about Financial Insecurity & Hardship at End of Life

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Today, Tuesday 27th September 2022, we are releasing the first 3 digital stories from our research project about barriers to, and experiences of, home dying when experiencing financial insecurity and hardship. Digital stories are 2-3 minute films combining photos, music and voiceover, within a narrative structure. This is a participatory visual method, adapted for use… Continue reading

Anatomy – A Matter of Death and Life: An Exhibition Review

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Michael Hannah, End of Life Studies Student, Reviews the Anatomy Exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland. The Exhibition runs from 2 July -30 October 2022. August in Edinburgh is festival time and with so much going on, an exhibition on the history of anatomy may not seem the most appealing way to spend an… Continue reading

Biographical Pain and the Baby Boomers’ Legacy

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Blog by Professor Tony Walter, University of Bath Dr Joe Wood observes in his 2021 blog on extinction and the end of the world that total pain at the end of life can include what gerontologist Malcolm Johnson (2013) calls biographical pain. In this semi-autobiographical blog about today’s ageing baby boomers, I locate a particular kind of… Continue reading

Death and Design Part 2: Workshopping End of Life Interventions

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This blog was written by Prof. Bruce Tharp who is a visiting Fulbright scholar with the Glasgow School of Art and the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group. Two distinct but complimentary communities met in downtown Glasgow on May 26th 2022 for a second fruitful collaboration: Death and Design: Workshopping End of Life Interventions. Bringing crucial… Continue reading