How many times have you used or seen the term “loved one” this week? If you work in healthcare or the service sector, there’s a good chance it is quite a few. Have you ever stopped to think what is meant by it, its limitations or if you use it how it might be received?… Continue reading →
Tempus fugit. It is now 10 years exactly since the first post appeared on this blog, setting out a new agenda for social science research at the University of Glasgow. The decade milestone brings a good moment for a little reflection, and also for a look forward. In March 2014, I’d just had confirmation of success… Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 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’ 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 →
