A death in the family: experiences of dying and death in which everyday family practices are embedded and enacted. (11th May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Almack, Kathryn
• Is Part Of: Families, relationships and societies. Volume 11:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 227
• Page End: 241
• Publication Date: 2022-05-11
• Subjects: death -- dying and bereavement -- family practices -- siblings -- end-of-life care; Families -- Research -- Periodicals; Families -- Periodicals; Intergenerational relations -- Periodicals; 306.805
• DOI: 10.1332/204674321X16472778502561
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-7435

Abstract

Abstract : 'Family' is an important concept in end-of-life care policy and practice but familial relationships are rarely considered, beyond a bio-medical framework and/or as a resource for informal care. Furthermore, bereavement and grief have largely come to be seen as the domain for psychiatry and psychology. I argue for an exploration of death, dying and bereavement as experiences within which everyday family practices are embedded and enacted. In doing so, I draw on experiences, in an English setting, relating to my parents' coming to the end of their lives. Morgan's work is central to this endeavour and I apply aspects of his work to this important but understudied area of family sociology. Building on insights from this important body of work, I argue this can help to develop richer, more nuanced understandings of the everyday familial experiences of dying and death bound up in social, material and cultural contexts.