As we enter the end stages of life, palliative and end-of-life care become more essential to achieve an approximation of what one might deem a ‘good’ death. Sociologist Allan Kellehear identifies the need to shift palliative care from its current practices wherein psychosocial care only begins at the onset of a dying person’s challenges towards… Continue reading →
Eight minutes and forty-six seconds. That’s how long an officer kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck resulting in his death from asphyxiation. In eulogizing Floyd, Reverend Al Sharpton said, “Since four hundred and one years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee… Continue reading →
A yellow heart has been widely shared across the UK during lockdown, giving many bereaved families a meaningful opportunity to visibly share their loss and grief. Originating from a single bereaved family, this simple and powerful movement has showcased one of many new forms of grieving developed during the time of Covid-19. In the face… Continue reading →
Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional thinking around death and dying, Death Cafés around the world were encouraging people to reflect on their mortality. Death Cafés are informal social spaces where strangers meet to ‘have a conversation’ about death and dying. They can be organised by anyone, anywhere in the world. With death rates now… Continue reading →
Until Death Café meetings moved from cafes, libraries, community centres, cemeteries, etc. to the online sphere due to social distancing measures, it had not occurred to me to specify that my PhD thesis is about face to face Death Café meetings. Online Death Cafés were an exception, not the rule when I conducted my fieldwork… Continue reading →
Coronavirus is changing the way we live in a way that is repeatedly said to be unprecedented. We say we are living through strange times, extraordinary times, difficult times. For some of us lucky enough to be able to work from home time might be stretching out in lockdown into an endless series of Thursday… Continue reading →
Through an interdisciplinary Arts Lab on Reading and Writing Death and Dying, Dr Elizabeth Reeder, Dr Naomi Richards, and Amy Shea are running a half-day symposium on Wednesday 22nd January 2020, 1-5pm, at the Women’s Library in Glasgow. The symposium is open to 40 people and will comprise various writing workshops responding to imagery and… Continue reading →
We don’t often post pieces of this kind on our blog, but I was so struck by the simplicity of this tribute when I read it, that I asked its writer if we could post it here. Dr Suresh Kumar, a good friend to our group and active collaborator, is well known for his work… Continue reading →
