You are currently browsing the archives for the concepts category.

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

Published on: Author: Naomi Richards 1 Comment

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

The Value of Death at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico City

Published on: Author: Marian Krawczyk Leave a comment

In this blog Gina Tarditi, a psychologist in Mexico City and End of Life Studies MSc student, describes an event she organised with oncologists to debate 2022 Lancet Report on the Value of Death. I work at The National Cancer Institute (INCAN) in Mexico City which is one of the largest cancer centers in Latin… Continue reading

Biographical Pain and the Baby Boomers’ Legacy

Published on: Author: Naomi Richards Leave a comment

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

Published on: Author: Naomi Richards Leave a comment

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

The continuing relevance of total pain in the 21st Century: Call for contributors

Published on: Author: Marian Krawczyk 1 Comment

The recent Lancet Commission into the Value of Death reports endemic suffering at the end of life in both global North and South countries and calls for the further expansion of holistic philosophies and practices of end of life care. Here at the End of Life Studies Group, we believe that one way to do… Continue reading

‘Total Pain’, Extinction, and the End of the World

Published on: Author: josephwood2 Leave a comment

‘Total Pain’ as the Pain of a Lifetime This post looks at Cicely Saunders’ influential term ‘total pain’ in terms of endings and limits. ‘Total pain’ articulates how pain for someone whose life is ending is a whole overwhelming experience which combines physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements. My own PhD project looks at how… Continue reading

Dying and death in “unprecedented” times: The role of learning

Published on: Author: Marian Krawczyk Leave a comment

The world stopped making sense when my sister died. She wasn’t supposed to die young, with a small child, most of her life still to be lived – it was an unprecedented event.  In order to try and find meaning to my inchoate grief, I began to explore others’ stories and experiences with dying and… Continue reading

The Global Spread of Death Cafés

Published on: Author: Naomi Richards 1 Comment

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