Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mourning customs'
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McCarthy, Andrew D. "Mourning men in early English drama." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2010. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Spring2010/a_mccarthy_020910.pdf.
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Brennan, Michael. "Mourning identities : Hillsborough, Diana and the production of meaning." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2003. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/50750/.
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‘Mourning Identities: Hillsborough, Diana and the Production of Meaning’ explores the meaning-making processes which contributed to the widespread public mourning that followed the Hillsborough stadium disaster of 1989 and the death of Princess Diana in 1997. It does so by the textual analysis of a sample of the public condolence books signed following these events and by drawing upon autobiographical stories related to each of them produced using the method known as ‘memory work’. Drawing upon a variety of theoretical frameworks, including psychoanalytic, poststructuralist and Bakhtinian influenced dialogics, it suggests that a range of social identities were ‘hailed’ and discursively mobilised in the public mourning events that followed the Hillsborough disaster and the death of Princess Diana. It further suggests that identification is an indispensable and precursory aspect of public mourning, which is summoned and given shape by epistolary and narrative practices of the self. Public mourning of the sort considered here is theorised along two principal lines: the iconic and the totemic. The former, it is argued, can be seen to relate to the largely feminine global structures of feeling through which the public mourning for Princess Diana were articulated, whilst the latter can be seen to relate to the largely masculine local structures of feeling through which the public mourning following the Hillsborough disaster were configured. In turn, it suggests that aspects of resistance to the public mourning following each of the events considered as case studies here can in themselves be considered as aspects of mourning, albeit for something other than the obvious referents of loss during these events. It further points to the situated social identity of the researcher as both instrumental not only to the motivation for, but to the outcomes of social research.
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Cross, Katerina P. S. "From celebration to a "culture of lament" : a practical theological study of responses to suffering through the lens of a "secular congregation"." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2017. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=236308.
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This thesis explores the problematic nature of theodicy (theological explanations for suffering). It questions what kind of meaning-making might occur in place of theodicy in societies which are undergoing a change in attitude to religious belief and practise. In doing so, it looks to shed light on how the Church might respond to instances of mass suffering (referred to as 'ground-zero' events) and other traumatic experiences in the current social context. Drawing on a practical theological methodology, and employing ethnographic tools of investigation, this thesis includes data collected via interviews (thirty in total) and observation with the Sunday Assembly. This burgeoning global movement is not religiously affiliated, yet it draws on the structures and practises of the Christian Church to the extent that it has been referred to as an 'atheist church' (and, laterally, a 'secular congregation.') Data gathered at communities in London and Edinburgh provides a critical basis for theological reflection on the group's responses to suffering. The key finding of this thesis concerns the Sunday Assembly's adoption of a philosophy of celebration, which, in practise, can lead to the 'passing over' of suffering on both a global and individual scale. In response, this thesis concludes with a reflection on the Church's propensity to also avoid discussion of suffering, and suggests that churches resist this by constructing a 'culture of lament' in which suffering might be acknowledged and addressed. This practise is intended to prevent Christian communities from evading traumatic events, or else reverting to potentially harmful theodicies.
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Nyanjaya, Ananias Kumbuyo. "A pastoral approach to suppression of the grief process among males leading to death a reflection on an African perspective in Zimbabwe /." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10302007-153911/.
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Toland, Lisa Marie. "Resurrecting the dead the language of grief in a seventeenth century English family /." Oxford, Ohio : Miami University, 2003. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?miami1058455953.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2003.Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains ii, 54 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-54).
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Tabony, Joanna. "Death, Death, I Know Thee Now!' Mourning Jewelry in England and New Orleans in the Nineteenth Century." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2011. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/134.
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Descriptions of mourning adornments in England and New Orleans in the nineteenth century are used to argue that many of the customs of mourning in England -- the designs, themes, and materials -- also were present in New Orleans. This study draws from these observations and sources to suggest that mourning practices involving jewelry and costume became more functional and less formal in both England and New Orleans as the century progressed, while French customs retained and even grew in complexity. The high level of trade between Britain and New Orleans during the nineteenth century, reflected in the jewelry and costume of Louisiana, supports an argument that this new world city was influenced by, absorbed and incorporated social customs and activities that were useful to them, drawn from a wider range of cultures and peoples than perhaps are usually mentioned in historical accounts.
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Powell, Debra. ""It was hard to die frae hame" death, grief and mourning among Scottish migrants to New Zealand, 1840-1890 /." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2484.
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James McGeoch's headstone, which can be seen at the Presbyterian Cemetery in Symonds Street, Auckland, carries a simple sentiment in the Scottish dialect that resonates with first generation migrants everywhere: 'It was hard to die frae hame'. This thesis is an investigation into the experiences of death and mourning among nineteenth century Scottish migrants to New Zealand. It considers the ways in which death, and the framework of social conventions through which it is interpreted and dealt with, might provide evidence for the persistence or renegotiation of cultural behaviours among migrant communities. The focus of this study is on the working classes and in particular those who resided in, and emigrated from, Scotland's larger cities and towns. A complex of ideas and customs informed cultural practices regarding death among the working classes. This thesis highlights the multiple challenges that the process of migration posed to these cultural practices. The ongoing renegotiation of such ideas and customs were important components in the formulation of cultural and religious identities in New Zealand. This thesis is simultaneously an investigation of deathways, a migration study, a consideration of the working class experience, and a tentative venture into the history of emotion. Using a diverse range of sources, including New Zealand coroners' reports, gravestone inscriptions, and personal autobiographical accounts as written in journals, diaries and letters, this study highlights the complexity and variety of migrants' experiences of death and attempts to uncover the multiple meanings of these experiences.
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Dobler, Robert 1980. "Alternative Memorials: Death and Memory in Contemporary America." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10821.
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x, 89 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.Alternative forms of memorialization offer a sense of empowerment to the mourner, bringing the act of grieving into the personal sphere and away from the clinical or official realm of funeral homes and cemeteries. Constructing a spontaneous shrine allows a mourner to create a meaningful narrative of the deceased's life, giving structure and significance to a loss that may seem chaotic or meaningless in the immediate aftermath. These vernacular memorials also function as focal points for continued communication with the departed and interaction with a community of mourners that blurs distinctions between public and private spheres. I focus my analysis on MySpace pages that are transformed into spontaneous memorials in the wake of a user's death, the creation of "ghost bikes" at the sites of fatal bicycle-automobile collisions, and memorial tattooing, exploring the ways in which these practices are socially constructed innovations on the traditional material forms of mourning culture.
Committee in Charge: Dr. Daniel Wojcik, Folklore, Chair; Dr. Philip Scher, Anthropology; Dr. Doug Blandy, Arts and Administration
2016-05-28
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Akol, Grace. "Widows' experiences of spousal mourning among AmaXhosa: an interpretative phenomenological study." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/523.
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This study was conducted on the mourning rituals of the AmaXhosa widows of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study focused on the descriptive presentation of the experiences of the AmaXhosa widows in the Buffalo City municipality of the Province. The study sought to establish the widows’ perceptions regarding the mourning rituals and to interpret their experiences within the context of contemporary cultural, religious, gender and socio-political influences. The experiences among the widows interviewed were found to have a similar context but their perceptions about the mourning rituals were different between the widows younger than 40 years and those older than 50 years. Widows from urban and rural areas of East London, Mdantsane Township and from within a 60 kilometre radius of East London were interviewed. Purposive random sampling was used to identify an equal number of either urban or rural voluntary participants for the study. Structured interviews were held with widows ranging in age from 29 to 91 years. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the recorded discussions was conducted. The experiences of the AmaXhosa widows during the conduct of the mourning rituals are described. The key findings of the study indicated that most of the widows felt they had to go through the mourning rituals mainly to show respect for their departed husbands and so that the dignity of the family and clan was maintained. The mourning rituals seemed mostly to have negative implications for the widows such as a lack of family and financial support and being treated as social outcasts; however the rituals also seemed to help the women adjust to their new status as widows. Although the mourning rituals were embedded in the socio-cultural tradition generally followed by the AmaXhosa, religious beliefs also influenced some of the traditions by introducing changes in the way some widows conducted the mourning rituals. For example, some religions advocated for shorter periods of mourning than usual as well as wearing different types of mourning clothes from the usual black or purple dress. Overall the perceptions of the older widows aged above 50 years revealed that they had no reservations about performing the mourning rituals and quite readily and unquestioningly accepted the customs. The younger widows aged below 40 years on the other hand felt that the mourning rituals were biased against women and did not serve a useful purpose and even proposed changes to the manner in which the mourning rituals are conducted particularly the shortening of the mourning period from 12 to 6 months or less. However, they seemed to recognize the role played by the mourning ritual in lessening and possibly healing the pain and sorrow caused by their bereavement.
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Seretlo-Rangata, Mmakwena Linda. "The psychological meaning of mourning rituals in Botlokwa Community, Limpopo Province." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2032.
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Thesis ((M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2017.The study explored the psychological meaning of mourning rituals in Botlokwa community, Limpopo Province. The study focused on identifying and describing the types of mourning rituals observed and performed by the participants after the loss of a loved one. Furthermore the study explored the subjective meaning the participants attach to the mourning rituals so as to identify and articulate the psychological themes embedded in the mourning rituals. A total of ten participants (male = 5; females = 5; aged between 40 and 60) were selected using the purposive sampling method. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis method was used to analyse the data. The three major themes that emerged during data analysis were; a) The types of mourning rituals observed and performed after the death of a loved one; b) the subjective meaning that the bereaved attach to the mourning rituals and c) the psychological meaning embedded in the mourning rituals observed and performed after the death of a loved one. The findings of the study suggest that the mourning rituals performed by the Batlokwa people have significant psychological meanings. These include assisting the bereaved to cope with the death of a loved one, strengthening the bereaved and ensuring that the bereaved are healed and accept the death of a loved one. The study results further shows the different subjective meanings that the bereaved attach to the mourning rituals performed. Furthermore the findings of the study suggest that the participants perform mourning rituals in order to prevent them from misfortunes, illnesses, bad luck and to remove what is perceived as a “dark cloud” hanging over them after the death of a loved one. The findings further suggest that the bereaved benefit psychologically from performing the mourning rituals. One of the benefits is having to let go of the deceased with the knowledge that their loved ones’ soul is resting in peace. The study is concluded by, among others, recommending that psychologists familiarise themselves with different cultural groups and different ways of grieving and mourning within different cultures in order to better understand patients’ different mourning processes.
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Ngqangweni, Hlonelwa. "‘Gender’ and constructions of spousal mourning among the AmaXhosa in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015647.
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Among the AmaXhosa the death of a person is marked by a tradition called ukuzila - the equivalent of the mourning process. As a sign of spousal mourning, and to show respect, the remaining spouse has to put on a marker (be visible). However, it is mostly the woman who is under obligation to show her mourner status by wearing ‘clothes of mourning’. The discriminatory nature of the practice, especially pertaining to visibility and some of the detrimental effects on the widows’ health and safety have been documented by some researchers, but the reasons for the continuity of visibility remain largely unexplored. Taking into account the dynamic nature of ‘culture’, this research explored the discourses deployed in men and women’s constructions of ukuzila specifically focusing on spousal mourning and the continuity of widows’ visibility in spite of their resistance to it. The research used postcolonial feminism drawing on postructuralism as its theoretical lens. This theoretical lens provided useful concepts such as hybridity, visibility, surveillance and power with which to examine spousal mourning and conceptualised people’s subject positions as multiple, fluid and contingent. Furthermore, the research employed thematic and discourse analysis at its methodology. Discourse analysis was employed to identify and analyse the discourses utilised in the constructions of spousal mourning. The research was conducted through focus group discussions held with younger and older urban and rural men and women, as well as interviews held with widows and widowers and key cultural informants. Concerning the question of constructions of spousal mourning for men and women, visibility of the mourner emerged as a central and contentious issue. Some participants were of the view that one could show mourning by engaging in culturally appropriate mourning behaviour, whilst others were of the view that showing one’s mourning had to be visible by publicly displaying mourning through a marker. Another group proposed mourning “by heart”, whereby the mourners’ status could either be inferred from their behaviour, whereas others maintained that behaviour was not mandatory. Various justifications for the continued visibility of widows were advanced. These justifications included showing love and respect to the deceased husband; showing respect to the ancestors; and helping to monitor their own behaviour in order to ensure that it is in line with appropriate mourning behaviour. The continued visibility of widows was also used to regulate the widows’ sexuality. Widows were coerced to put on ‘clothes of mourning’ in order to ‘protect’ them from being approached by men for a relationship during the mourning period. The regulation of the movement of widows was also managed through visibility. Widows’ movements were restricted in order to protect the community from pollution or bad luck. For example, they were not allowed to visit places of entertainment or visit other households. Key discourses identified were the familial-‘ukwenda’, respect-‘hlonipha’, and male sexual drive (MSD) discourse. The familial - ‘ukwenda’ discourse is centred on the idea that one is ‘married to the household’, which includes the nuclear family and wider extended family including ancestors. According to the respect-‘hlonipha’ discourse, respect is due to others on the basis of their age, status, and more especially their gender. Showing respect (hlonipha) necessitates the avoidance of all forms of behaviour and utterances that could be deemed disrespectful. The MSD holds a widespread view of sexuality as a biological drive that resides within each male and it was drawn on to make sense of discontinued visibility among widowers, whilst visibility of widows continued. It is argued that it is these discourses, embedded in the ‘culture’ of the AmaXhosa and upheld by the family that sustain the discriminatory nature of the practice, especially concerning the continued visibility of widows in spite of the resistance that has been voiced.
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Sweeney, Katherine. "American afterlife." View electronic thesis (PDF), 2009. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2009-1/rp/sweeneyk/katherinesweeney.pdf.
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Tremper, Kristin. ""When God Takes Away": Gendered Death Customs in Eighteenth-Century Virginia." VCU Scholars Compass, 2010. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/74.
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Rituals surrounding death were social in addition to being religious. Virginians conveyed the status of the deceased through funerals, burials, gravestones, commemoration, and mourning. But these customs greatly differed according to gender, both in what they consisted of and who was responsible for carrying them out. This thesis examines wills, diaries, correspondence, grave markers, prints, and newspapers of eighteenth-century Virginians, which demonstrate the differences in the death customs of men and women. Because of men’s involvement in public activities like business and politics, they gave greater forethought into how acts of remembrance would reflect their positions. Women’s duties were centered on the home and family. This resulted in less elaborate death customs as well as greater responsibility for appropriately attending to the remembrance of others. Despite the overwhelmingly private nature of women’s funerals and burials, gravestones, death notices, and the responsibilities of widowhood briefly brought women into the public realm.
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Auer, Janette Slater William J. "Electra in context: an investigation of a character in fifth century B.C. Athenian tragedy in the social context of the ritual lament and revenge /." *McMaster only, 2005.
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El-Karanshawy, Samer. "The day the Imām was killed : mourning sermons, politics, history and the struggle for Lebanese Shī'īsm." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.669871.
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Solomon, Angela Ntombizodwa Nokuphila. "Funeral rites of the amaXhosa as therapeutic procedures compared to crisis intervention : an anthropological-descriptive evaluation." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007699.
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This study was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the analogy between the Crisis Intervention Model and the Funeral Rites of the amaXhosa. The latter group includes both traditional as well as Western Christian elements. The study was confined to the geographical area of Ciskei and more specifically the villages in and around Peddie and Ndevana near Zwelitsha, as regards traditional people, and the Black townships of Zwelitsha and Whittlesea,as regards more Westernized people. It is, however, the contention of the study that experiences discussed here are common to Blacks in South Africa irrespective of ethnicity. The justification for this generalisation is based on anthropological commonalities as well as historical vicissitudes among Blacks in Southern Africa. For instance, ritual slaughter performed after death in propitiation with the ancestors is known among all Blacks in South Africa. Also the Politico-historical events as well as socio-economic developments in the country affect Blacks in a more or less similar manner. For example, the changing family structure among Blacks, because of changes from one type of economy to another, is a social process affecting all Blacks in Southern Africa - in particular the working class (Colin Murray, 1980). The Funeral rites under study are postulated as possessing elements of therapeutic and practical value which result in the alleviation of grief and the encouragement of full acceptable means of mourning. The study is chiefly descriptive and anthropological material has been used. Recordings were made from participant observation whenever there was a funeral in the area studied. Information about funerals is easily obtainable as these are announced over Radio Ciskei and Radio Xhosa every evening. Mourners and interveners were interviewed. The former to elicit the needs they had felt, the latter to elicit the needs they had perceived the former to have. The Crisis Intervention Model is fairly simple to understand and uses practical theory. Therefore, it is not surprising that there should be elements of similarity between this model and the funeral rites of the amaXhosa as both deal with people in need of support. These funeral rites are rooted in a culture which has as one of its crucial aspects intimate, face-to-face interaction of its members in constant exchange as regards both emotional support and services. These "credit networks" ensure that a person is never bereft of emotional support. Moreover, temporary services are always accorded to a person in crisis. An effort has been made to relate the Crisis Intervention Model to the South African context of Blacks (both traditional as well as Christian). By necessity this has meant looking at all cultural dimensions of Black society - historical, political, economic and cultural, in order to provide a clearer picture of the people under study. That is, human psychological experiences of grief and mourning are seen as processes related to and developing within the concrete everyday realities. Some of the experiences described have been personally witnessed by the researcher in her personal involvement with cultural practices. Funerals are, of necessity, sad occasions and this study, using participant observation methods sometimes brought on sad memories of the researcher's own losses of loved ones. In the discussion a comparison was made between the traditional methods of grief work, the Crisis Intervention theory and the mourner studied and it was found that these rites do indeed, contain therapeutic and practical elements of dealing with grief and mourning, comparable to the Crisis Intervention Model. Finally in the conclusior a proposal for further areas of study in this field was suggested.
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Hartzler, Rachel Nafziger. "Loss as an invitation to transformation living well following the death of a spouse /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) Access this title online, 2004. http://www.tren.com.
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Thesis (M.A. in Christian Formation)--Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 2004.Abstract. Thesis supervisor: Daniel S. Schipani. Appendix 1: "A Questionnaire for People Who Are (or at One Time Were) Widowed." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-150, 191-194).
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Aka, Christine. "Unfallkreuze : Trauerorte am Straßenrand /." Münster [u.a.] : Waxmann, 2007. http://www.waxmann.com/kat/1791.html.
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Van, Heerden Gary Paul. "Holding on or letting go?: the resolution of grief in relation to two Xhosa rituals in South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016055.
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The dominant emphasis in Western models of bereavement is on the breaking of bonds with the deceased in order for healing to occur. Failure to let go often leads to a diagnosis of 'pathological grief'. This paper challenges the assumption that death invariably means that the bonds with the deceased have to be severed. Situating Western models of bereavement in a modernist context not only challenges the 'truth' claims of these models, but also facilitates a deconstruction of the elements that contribute to the emphasis on letting go. In contrast to these theories, two Xhosa rituals (umkhapho and umbuyiso) that seek to sustain the bond with the deceased person will be examined. Such rituals demonstrate that it is possible to both maintain the bond and for the bereaved person to move on with their lives. Despite different contexts, it will be argued that these Xhosa bereavement rituals have a contribution to make to Western models of bereavement and some implications for therapy will be explored.
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Houde, Audrey. "Le travail de production et de reconstruction des mises en scène rituelles dans le contexte de la ritualité funéraire /." Thèse, Chicoutimi : Montréal : Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Université de Montréal, 2005. http://theses.uqac.ca.
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Thèse (M.Th.Pr.) -- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, programme en extension de l'Université de Montréal, 2005.Bibliogr.: f. [74]-76. Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU
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Noret, Joël. "Autour de "ceux qui n'existent plus" : Deuil, funérailles et place des défunts au Sud-Bénin." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/210757.
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Noret, Joël. "Autour de "ceux qui n'existent plus" : Deuil, funérailles et place des défunts au Sud-Bénin." Doctoral thesis, Paris, EHESS, 2006. http://www.theses.fr/2006EHES0230.
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Ce travail porte d'abord sur les funérailles et les cultes pour les morts dans la société du Sud-Bénin contemporain. Attentif aux évolutions amenées par le changement social des dernières décennies, il montre aussi le rôle structurant des funérailles dans les processus de changement en cours, en proposant l'analyse des différentes étapes des obsèques depuis le moment crucial de la mise en place d'un scénario de funérailles jusqu'aux rites lignagers, chrétiens ou musulmans qui suivent généralement la cérémonie d'enterrement. Enfin, un deuxième questionnement traverse également le travail de part en part, celui des opérations concrètes du deuil psychique (envisagé comme une transformation de la relation du défunt) et de la socialisation de celui-ci. Le don, mais aussi la rupture et le partage social sont retenus comme opérations concrètes du deuil psychique, considéré ici comme fait "psychique social", fatalement ancré dans des schèmes de pensée et des contextes sociauxFirst, this work deals with funerals and the cults for the dead in contemporary southern Benin. Taking into account the evolutions brought by the social change of the lasts decades, it shows the structuring role of the funerals in the ongoing processes of change. It thus offers an analysis of the different stages of the obsequies, from the crucial moment of making of a script of the funerals,and until the lineage rites, or the Christian or Muslim ceremonies that normally follow the burial rite. Another question goes through the whole work, namely the question of the concrete operations of the psychic mourning (considered as a transformation of the relation to the deceased) and its socialisation. The gift, but also breaking and social sharing are envisaged as concrete operations of the psychic mourning, considered as a "psychic social" fact, inevitably grounded in social patterns of thought and contexts
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Sesanti, Simphiwe Olicius. "Burial practices, African women, and Islam in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa." Thesis, University of Port Elizabeth, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/346.
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Early in 2003, African Muslims in Uitenhage’s township, Kwa-Nobuhle, learnt that Muslim women, led by Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth New Brighton township, were allowed, contrary to previous practice, to follow a funeral procession right up to the graveyard. The resultant discomfort on the one hand, and excitement on the other caused by this event among Muslims in the township, forms the basis of this research. It gives focus to Muslim women, the ones most affected by their customary restriction from the gravesites. The researchi exposes the basis for women’s exclusion from funeral processions in the Muslim community. It was established that many of these Muslim women who challenged the practice were converts from Christianity to Islam. One of the bases for their action was that they were passive recipients of Islam. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of women from the funeral procession has no basis in Islamic writings.
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Matemnago, Tonle Véronique. "Gestion des conflits dans le deuil au prisme des négociations, transactions sociales et compromis : le cas du deuil d'un roturier chez les Bamiléké de l'Ouest Cameroun." Thesis, Strasbourg, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017STRAG026/document.
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La société bamiléké de l’Ouest Cameroun, marquée par une structure sociale hiérarchisée basée sur des références coutumières en cours d’évolution, est traversée par des conflits repérables dans les rapports sociaux. Ces tensions se cristallisent à l’occasion des cérémonies telles que le deuil d’un roturier, terrain des observations de cette thèse. L’analyse sociologique et ethnologique de ces conflits et des modalités de leur gestion pratique, en vue du déroulement du deuil dans son intégralité, mobilise l’outillage théorique de la négociation et des transactions sociales dans l’élaboration permanente de compromis, ce que ce travail analyse tout au long du processus de deuil. Les sources et méthodes empiriques croisées avec l’appareillage théoriques donnent à voir que, chez les Bamiléké, les parties prenantes, en termes de jeux d’acteurs et en relation avec différents cadres de contraintes (coutumier, socio-économique, temporel…), s’organisent pour gérer les conflits à travers des dynamiques de négociation ou de transactions qui conduisent à des compromis toujours relatifs et provisoires. D’abord marqués par le temps du deuil, ces compromis participent plus largement de la recomposition locale des relations sociales et du rapport tradition/modernité dans la société bamilékéThe Bamileke society of Western Cameroon, marked by a hierarchical social structure based on customary references in the course of evolution, is crossed by conflicts that can be identified in social relations. These tensions crystallize on the occasion of ceremonies such as the mourning of a commoner, field of the observations of this thesis. The sociological and ethnological analysis of these conflicts and the modalities of their practical management, with a view to the unfolding of mourning ceremonies in its entirety, mobilizing the theoretical tools of negotiation and social transactions in the permanent elaboration of compromises, what this work analyses throughout the grieving process. The empirical sources and methods crossed with the theoretical references show that, relatives of the deceased, in terms of sets of actors and in relation to different frame of constraints (customary, socio-economic, temporal...) organize themselves to manage conflicts through negotiation or transactions dynamics that always lead to relative and temporary compromises. At first marked by the time of mourning, these compromises participate more widely in the local recomposition of social relations and the relationship between tradition and modernity in Bamileke society
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Strati, Susanna School of Arts UNSW. "In black: the performative and transactional objects in death." 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/44092.
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This research investigates particular ways that memorialising and mourning can be made manifest through public commemorative objects and spaces such as memorials and through smaller scale personal mementos. It also examines ways that these physical reminders can act as repositories and markers for memory, and as metaphors for identity. In particular the research is focussed on Traditional Southern Italian customs, reflecting on the ways that keepsakes and the cenotaph can provide allegories for declining cultural practices of Southern Italian migrants in Australia. The data collected for this thesis is based partly on participant observation, and on informal conversations with migrants from Southern Italy, regarding their funerary practices and stories told about the rural areas left behind in Italy. Research of visual and published material in the area of memorialising and memorial object are examined in order to gain an understanding of the language of death. The thesis also examines the use of Catholic religious objects in what anthropologist Per Binde has coined 'transactional acts', during supplication and remembrance and during times of mourning. An exploration of memorial and memento objects, by contemporary practitioners including Christian Boltanski, Lindy Lee, Julie Blyfield and Maya Lin has also been included. Inclusion of contemporary artists reflects on how memorials continue to play an important role in today's society as well as being integral in reflecting identity and maintaining connections with the past. Investigation of this genre is expressed through the research document and a body of studio-based research connected to the traditions of Memorialising. The studio research is expressed in the exhibition 'In Black' through the language of Catholic religious objects, memory boxes, personal mementos and cultural signifiers in wax, metal, and installation. These works, as time capsules are filled with significant representations of individuals and events that evoke memories through depictions of life, significant places and words descriptive of time and place.
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Sefoto, Cedrick Ngwako. "Theme of mourning in post-apatheid South African Literature." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/1346.
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Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015This dissertation discusses the significance of the concept of mourning in post-apartheid South Africa as presented in the following selected post-apartheid South African literary texts: Ways of dying, a novel by Zakes Mda; Nothing but the truth, a play by John Kani and Freedom lament and song, a poem by Mongane Wally Serote. The dissertation interrogates the legitimacy of the prefix ‘post’ in ‘post-apartheid’ as a point of departure. It discusses the theories of key thinkers on the concept mourning and then applies their theories to the analysis of the selected literary texts thereby interpreting the selected literary texts as symbolic codes communicating messages about the state of politics in post-apartheid South Africa. 5
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Tshoba, Zanele Margaret. "Psychological significance of shaving hair as a ritual during mourning within the Ndebele culture." Diss., 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18807.
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The study examined and explored the psychological significance of shaving hair as a ritual during mourning within the Ndebele culture in Mamelodi, Pretoria. The focus was on rituals performed or conducted during the mourning process that will be useful in an attempt to reach a state of healing and restoration. The study explored what meaning the participants attach to the rituals. Through this exploration; a deeper understanding of the value of rituals was developed. The qualitative research method, particularly Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. Snowball sampling was used to identify participants who had lost their loved and who had gone through mourning for more than six months. In total, ten participants were interviewed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the mother tongue of the participants in order to allow them to express themselves in the most ultimate way they know and understand. Thematic content analysis was used to extract themes that were dominant across participants. The study was useful as it could be incorporated into the study of psychology specifically from the African epistemological standpoint. Even though the rituals might be practiced amongst the black African community, there is not much literature that focuses mainly on the specific rituals and their significance. This study could also be useful in terms of exposing this knowledge to persons who might not be exposed to this specific ritual of shaving hair due to cultural differences.Psychology
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
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Stasch, Rupert. "Figures of alterity among Korowai of Irian Jaya : kinship, mourning, and festivity in a dispersed society /." 2001. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3006557.
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Daber, Benedicta N. "The gendered construction of mourning and cleansing rites of widowhood amongst the Zulu speaking people of Ndwedwe community, KwaZulu-Natal." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/4375.
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The gendered construction of mourning and cleansing rites of widowhood was studied
amongst the Zulu community of Ndwedwe, 70 kilometres north of Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal
province of South Africa. These cultural rites were investigated through in-depth
interviews with six widowers and twelve widows. Respondents were asked about their
experiences and perceptions regarding their compliance to the two rites. An analysis of these
experiences, which were translated and transcribed into English, was carried out, using
studies from other cultures internationally and locally as reference point, for the study. It was
revealed that mourning rites, which follow death of a spouse can be stressful for both genders
and must be observed strictly by the use of black or any mourning dress. The period of
mourning is characterised by isolation and stigmatisation especially for the widows.
Cleansing is a symbolic act that purifies all members of the household from defilement by
death. This is done for all relatives following burial but a widow remains impure not less than
one year of 'successful' mourning in most cases, before she is cleansed and is then absolved
into society's normal life. This study has revealed that mourning and cleansing rites have
psychological and physical health implications for both genders but with more negative
impacts on widows than widowers.Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 2003.
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Mnisi, T. B. S. "The African process of mourning for African women : a challenge to pastoral care." Diss., 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24721.
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Bhana, Jyoti. "A social constructionist understanding of mourning : Indian widows' experiences." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1808.
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Death is one of the few certainties in life. It comes to all of us, but the way in which we deal with it will vary according to a range of social and cultural factors. Based on my mother's experiences since being widowed, this dissertation has undertaken a qualitative research method to examine how Hindu widows express their mourning in their context, thereby defining their experiences of widowhood. The aim of this dissertation is to give voice to the mourning experiences of Hindu widows. By examining these constructions of mourning experiences, one is able to gain an understanding of grief from a cultural perspective, which may serve as a guide for professional counsellors and academics in their endeavours to provide much needed support and understanding for bereaved Hindu women.
The epistemological framework is social constructionism. In this study five Hindu widows were interviewed with the intention of providing readers and fellow researchers with insight into their narratives, and the data was hermeneutically analysed. The participants' stories were interpreted and categorised into themes.
This study allowed for elaborate and detailed descriptions about Hindu widows' experiences to surface, with the view that this study will broaden the way Hindu widowhood is thought of. Analyses reveals that within patriarchal society, Hindu widows appear inadequately prepared for their widowhood. As a result they experience financial, emotional and psychological difficulties, which make adjusting to widowhood a challenge. The perspective this study hopes to argue for is broader, inclusive, collaborative engagement and thinking in respect of Indian widowhoodPsychology
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
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Schiffrin, Elizabeth. ""This so clearly needs to be marked" an exploration of memorial tattoos and their functions for the bereaved : a project based upon an independent investigation /." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10090/10136.
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Chuang, Yen-Chen. ""When coldness traps this suffering clay" mourning, death, and ethics in Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Joyce /." 2009. http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.000052285.
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Ndlovu, Cecilia Daphney. "The mourning cultural practices amongst the Zulu-speaking widows of the KwaNyuswa community : a feminist perspective." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/11374.
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This study titled: “Mourning Cultural Practice Amongst the Zulu Speaking Widows of the KwaNyuswa Community: A Feminist Perspective” explored how mourning cultural practices contribute towards gender discrimination which results to women oppression. The main aim of this study was to document how cultural practices impact negatively to women. It focused on challenges and consequences that the Zulu speaking widows particularly in the rural areas experience during their mourning period.
Within feminism as an umbrella theory underpinning this study, radical approach was employed to address the issue to be investigated since it considers patriarchal practices as a primary cause of women’s oppression (Wills and Ellen, 1994:117). This approach enabled the study to extract the gender imbalances inherent in cultural practices, and to expose widow’s experiences, why they experience what they are experiencing and how do they perceive their experiences.
This study employed a qualitative research approach embracing the interpretive paradigm and sought to obtain a rich and deep interpretation of participant’s responses on the topic investigated. A combination of three qualitative data collection methods were used, these were: face to face interviews, focus groups discussion and participant observation. Thirty participants were randomly selected from five districts of KwaNyuswa and that include: key informants, women and men, widows and widowers and these were regarded as people who are knowledgeable and have an experience with the phenomenon studied.
Thematic data analysis was used in this study through which four themes were emerged. These themes were derived from participant’s perceptions and experiences which made it possible to meet the research objectives. The findings of this study revealed that the majority of people at KwaNyuswa consider mourning cultural practice as an integral part of their lives irrespective of its constraints or challenges it might have to the people involved. It was clear from this study that the people of this community are very much conservative and stereotyped and they do not consider anything of gender transformation or gender equality. Recommendations were made for social and gender transformation and for some means to improve the widow’s plight.Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.
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Yawa, Sibongile Ndileka. "A psycho – analysis of bereavement in Xhosa, Zulu and Tswana cultures." Diss., 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4770.
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This study investigated the process of bereavement in the Xhosa, Zulu and Tswana cultures with participants including three cultural experts and a bereaved family from each ethnic group. Data was collected using semi – structured interviews mainly in the participants’ homes. Analysis was used by comparing and contrasting the information gathered.
Empirical research findings revealed that the process in the African culture specifically in these three ethnic groups is different from the western culture as stated in the literature. The literature review findings show that the western culture’s processes of bereavement seem focused in the intrapersonal processes. However, the African Black cultures seem to be focused more on interpersonal processes of bereavement.
Recommendations are made in the study on how a western trained Educational Psychologist can approach a bereaved client coming from these ethnic groups. Recommendations are also made for Educators and Parents.Educational Studies
M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)
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Bazubagira, Appoline Kabera. "A sociological analysis of culture and memory : a case study of the Kigali Memorial Center of Genocide in Rwanda." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/718.
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The 'never again' slogan to genocide, expressed by the United Nations Organization in 1948, after the Armenian and Jewish genocides has not been a barrier to other genocides whose Holocausts are a product. In 1994 in Rwanda, genocide occurred and the Kigali Memorial Center of Genocide is one of the Memorials (Holocaust) which stands as a reminder of the horror, in order to inform the community to keep watching. This raised
the curiosity of the researcher, to analyze how these new symbols can contribute to restore and revitalize social and cultural values in the context of Rwanda. The inside of the house offers on opportunity to visit the displayed history in which the genocide is rooted, including the period of genocide through survivors' experiences represented in short movies and by the material used in the killings. There is a room reserved for
displays of the others' genocides in the world. Outside the house, mass graves surrounded by a garden, announce the burial place and a documentary place. The first chapter is the general introduction of the study and outlines the framework of the study. The second chapter offers the syntheses of the literature review that it presents the social and political context in which the genocide took root. The third chapter offers the theoretical framework which deals with the nature of culture and its influence in the understanding of the Kigali Memorial Center of Genocide. The fourth chapter focuses on the fieldwork methodology. This study makes use of the qualitative approach. The primary data was collected through in-depth interviews of twenty one individuals and discussions with four focus groups with ten respondents in each group. Respondents were randomly chosen. The secondary data was used to complete the primary data. The fifth chapter is the presentation of the research findings. The findings reveal that after completing the construction of the Kigali Memorial Center of Genocide in 2004, spontaneous and organized visits to the Kigali Memorial Center of Genocide have taken place. This 'window' of what happened, inspires visitors and communities that there is a need to understand the past which can help in building a hopeful future together, for sustainable peace. The sixth chapter is the conclusion of the study which makes with recommendations and suggests further research.Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.
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Martin, Catherine Ellen. "Baring the breast in Homer and Attic tragedy : death, dunning and display." Diss., 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/21711.
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Breast-baring occurs in fifth century Attic tragedy in a variety of situations, but almost always within a mournful context. Many connotations of the naked breast—vulnerability, womanhood, motherhood, and voluntary humiliation—can be evoked. Breast-baring can be a precursor of the death of the woman who exposes herself or of the death of the person to whom she makes the gesture. The most commonly represented context is the supplication of a son by a mother, a topos which finds its origin in Hecuba’s supplication of Hector (Il. 22.79-89). As a consistent failure, breast-baring during supplication reinforces the idea, commonly held in the society of the time, that female power is inferior to male power. The motivations for the gesture will be examined both within the respective literary contexts and within the society of the period.Classics and World Languages
MA (Classical Studies)