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How do we understand death, and what does it mean for the way we live? What can confronting death teach us about life, meaning, and our shared humanity? The perspectives we hold about death and dying are not fixed — they are socially shaped by history, culture, and personal experience.
This 4th edition of Social Perspectives on Death and Dying invites readers to confront these questions directly. Jeanette Auger, joined by Kerstin Roger and four new contributors, brings together the latest research, regulations, and debates on issues such as cremation, suicide, medical assistance in dying (MAID), Indigenous perspectives, and the role of media in shaping our understanding of death.
More than an academic text, this book is a guide for reflection. It challenges readers to face their own thoughts, fears, and feelings about mortality, while examining how Canadian society navigates both traditional practices and emerging, often controversial, choices.
With contributions from: Zohreh BayatRizi, Rita Giancola, Audrey Medwayosh, and Catherine White.
Jeanette Auger is a professor emeritus of sociology at Acadia University, where she taught full-time for more than forty years and still teaches two online courses. She has written or co-authored nine books, most in the field of gerontology/aging and queer studies. As well as her teaching and research experience, she has also worked in a variety of capacities as a community development researcher and volunteer, specifically in organizations which provide services and programs to older people and their important ones. She was one of the founders of the Valley Hospice Society and chaired the board of a multi-complex seniors facility in the Annapolis Valley. Her work is intended to assist older people and those who are dying because her philosophy is that we all study and try to assist in our own aging.
Kerstin Roger is a professor at the College of Community and Global Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. Her social science research focuses on the family, caregiving, aging and end of life; global health and wellness across the lifespan, including abuse of older adults; and chronicity and interface with health care systems. Roger has been a principal Investigator on multisite nationally funded mixed methods and qualitative research (e.g., CIHR, PHAC, SSHRC, Movember, PrairieAction), as well as conducted federal, provincial and regionally funded research. She has worked on international collaborations, local not-for-profit community initiatives, and continues to co-author and engage graduate students in her research.
Chapter 1:: Beginnings
Chapter 2:: Your Experiences and Perceptions of Death and Dying
Chapter 3:: Key Concepts in the Maze of Death and Dying
Chapter 4:: Historical Attitudes Towards Death and Dying
Chapter 5:: Types of Death and Dying
Chapter 6:: Hospice Palliative Care
Chapter 7:: Medical Assistance in Dying and Euthanasia as Social Issues
Chapter 8:: Death Education and the Arts (Rita Giancola)
Chapter 9:: Drug and Opioid Deaths in Canada
Chapter 10:: Cross-Cultural Variations in Death and Dying (Zohreh BayatRizi)
Chapter 11:: Indigenous Perspectives on Death and Grief Within Canadian Society Background (Audrey Medwayosh)
Chapter 12:: The Changing Face of Cremation, Funeral and Burial Practices
Chapter 13:: Legal and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying
Chapter 14:: Causes and Prevention of Suicide in Canada (Catherine White)
Chapter 15:: Dealing with Grief and Bereavement
Chapter 16:: Reviving Interest in Death and Dying and Immortality
: Bibliography
Chapter 1:: Beginnings
Chapter 2:: Your Experiences and Perceptions of Death and Dying
Chapter 3:: Key Concepts in the Maze of Death and Dying
Chapter 4:: Historical Attitudes Towards Death and Dying
Chapter 5:: Types of Death and Dying
Chapter 6:: Hospice Palliative Care
Chapter 7:: Medical Assistance in Dying and Euthanasia as Social Issues
Chapter 8:: Death Education and the Arts (Rita Giancola)
Chapter 9:: Drug and Opioid Deaths in Canada
Chapter 10:: Cross-Cultural Variations in Death and Dying (Zohreh BayatRizi)
Chapter 11:: Indigenous Perspectives on Death and Grief Within Canadian Society Background (Audrey Medwayosh)
Chapter 12:: The Changing Face of Cremation, Funeral and Burial Practices
Chapter 13:: Legal and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying
Chapter 14:: Causes and Prevention of Suicide in Canada (Catherine White)
Chapter 15:: Dealing with Grief and Bereavement
Chapter 16:: Reviving Interest in Death and Dying and Immortality
: Bibliography
Chapter 1:: Beginnings
Chapter 2:: Your Experiences and Perceptions of Death and Dying
Chapter 3:: Key Concepts in the Maze of Death and Dying
Chapter 4:: Historical Attitudes Towards Death and Dying
Chapter 5:: Types of Death and Dying
Chapter 6:: Hospice Palliative Care
Chapter 7:: Medical Assistance in Dying and Euthanasia as Social Issues
Chapter 8:: Death Education and the Arts (Rita Giancola)
Chapter 9:: Drug and Opioid Deaths in Canada
Chapter 10:: Cross-Cultural Variations in Death and Dying (Zohreh BayatRizi)
Chapter 11:: Indigenous Perspectives on Death and Grief Within Canadian Society Background (Audrey Medwayosh)
Chapter 12:: The Changing Face of Cremation, Funeral and Burial Practices
Chapter 13:: Legal and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying
Chapter 14:: Causes and Prevention of Suicide in Canada (Catherine White)
Chapter 15:: Dealing with Grief and Bereavement
Chapter 16:: Reviving Interest in Death and Dying and Immortality
: Bibliography