Wiley-Blackwell Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross–Cultural Reader (The Human Lifecycle: Cross–Cultural Readings)

In Death, Mourning, and Burial, an indispensable introduction to the anthropology of death, readers will find a rich selection of some of the finest ethnographic work on this fascinating topic.* Comprised of six sections that mirror the social trajectory of death: conceptualizations of death; death and dying; uncommon death; grief and mourning; mortuary rituals; and remembrance and regeneration* Includes canonical readings as well as recent studies on topics such as organ donation and cannibalism* Designed for anyone concerned with issues of death and dying, as well as: violence, terrorism, war, state terror, organ theft, and mortuary rituals* Serves as a text for anthropology classes, as well as providing a genuinely cross--cultural perspective to all those studying death and dying Review -I enjoyed this volume immensely; Robben's due care in compiling it is evident throughout, and I have no doubt that it will become an invaluable collection, particularly for those interested in the anthropology of death, but also for others.- ( Anthropological Forum) "I enjoyed this volume immensely; Robben's due care in compiling it is evident throughout, and I have no doubt that it will become an invaluable collection, particularly for those interested in the anthropology of death, but also for others." ( Anthropological Forum) From the Back Cover There are few topics that stir the imagination more than the study of how humans across cultures have dealt with the inevitable and universally shared experience of death. In Death, Mourning, and Burial, an indispensable introduction to the anthropology of death, readers will find a rich selection of some of the finest ethnographic work on this fascinating topic. The collectionoffers cross-cultural readings thatspan the period from dying to afterlife, approach this transition as a social process, and demonstrate the great variation of cultural responses to death. Death, Mourning, and Burial is divided into six parts that mirror the social trajectory of death: conceptualizations of death; death and dying; uncommon death; grief and mourning; mortuary rituals; and remembrance and regeneration. Each part includes one or two foundational texts on the anthropology of death---on topics such as the disruption of social ties and their restoration through ritual---as well as recent and exciting studies that demonstrate the intellectual breadth of the anthropology of death, such as those on organ donation, "disappearances," and cannibalism. Not only will Death, Mourning, and Burial serve as a sourcebook and primary text for anthropology classes, it will provide a fine-grained book designed to bring a genuinely cross-cultural perspective to all those studying death and dying. About the Author Antonius C. G. M. Robben is Professor of Anthropology at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and past President of the Netherlands Society of Anthropology. His recent books are Cultures under Siege: Collective Violence and Trauma (edited with Marcelo Suarez--Orozco, 2000) and Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina (2005).