Death in Black and White: Death, Ritual, and Family Ecology"Based on a foundation of cultural theory and scholarship, the author explores a variety of issues related to race, culture and death ritual practices by immersing himself in the rich narratives and sources of information gleaned from his in-depth interviews with funeral directors, corporate funeral home representatives, clergy and individuals who have recently lost a loved one. Additionally, he has observed numerous funeral and burial services and cemetery landscapes, and has examined federal and state public policies surrounding burial and disposal, as well as other forms of death-related discourse. Ultimately, the book describes how death rituals both manifest and reinforce different cultural identities, and suggests that perhaps, it is through the experience of death that we might find the most enduring possibilities for promoting greater cultural understanding by maintaining rather than eliminating such differences."--BOOK JACKET. |
Contents
Ways of Death | 19 |
A Tale of Two Funerals | 45 |
A Death in the Family | 57 |
Copyright | |
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adaptation theorists African Americans American culture Ariès aspects attending attuned space behavior beliefs Black community Black families Black funeral Blacks and Whites burial buried casket cemetery Charisse Christian mythology church congregation context create culture of death dead death ritual events death ritual process deceased's family deceased's social network degree discussion dominant ecology emotional expression environment ethnography exist experience of death family members family's feel film forms friends funeral directors funeral homes funeral industry funeral rituals funeral service Gebser hermeneutician hermeneutics human individual interaction involved Junior living look Lucille magical Marguerite meaning meaningful memory metaphysics of presence minister mourning myth Narratives nature obituaries organ donation pastor person phenomenon preacher present problem race relations Raynelle regarding relationships responsibility share simply slavery society someone stories theory things traditions understanding W.E.B. DuBois World Trade Center