Encyclopedia Of Cremation

The Encyclopedia of Cremation is the first major reference resource focused on cremation. Spanning many world cultures it documents regional histories, ideological movements and leading individuals that fostered cremation whilst also presenting cremation as a universal practice. Tracing ancient and classical cremation sites, historical and contemporary cremation processes and procedures of both scientific and legal kind, the encyclopedia also includes sections on specific cremation rituals, architecture, art and text. Features in the volume include: a general introduction and editorial introductions to sub-sections by Douglas Davies, an international specialist in death studies; appendices of world cremation statistics and a chronology of cremation; cross-referencing pathways through the entries via the index; individual entry bibliographies; and illustrations. This major international reference work is also an essential source book for students on the growing number of death-studies courses and wider studies in religion, anthropology or sociology.

The Encyclopedia of Cremation is the first major reference resource focused on cremation. Spanning many world cultures it documents regional histories, ideological movements and leading individuals that fostered cremation whilst also presenting cremation as a universal practice. Tracing ancient and classical cremation sites, historical and contemporary cremation processes and procedures of both scientific and legal kind, the encyclopedia also includes sections on specific cremation rituals, architecture, art and text. Features in the volume include: a general introduction and editorial introductions to sub-sections by Douglas Davies, an international specialist in death studies; appendices of world cremation statistics and a chronology of cremation; cross-referencing pathways through the entries via the index; individual entry bibliographies; and illustrations. This major international reference work is also an essential source book for students on the growing number of death-studies courses and wider studies in religion, anthropology or sociology.

A broad range of information is offered in some 130 articles, though the editors make no claims of comprehensiveness. The contributions are concise and straightforward without being superficial or trite, presenting discussion of the controversies when the need exists. Among the topics covered: cremation, death anxiety, funerals, grief, living wills, mortality rate, murder, near-death experiences, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, as well as periodicals and organizations covering death and dying. Each entry carries references. A fine reference for a wide audience. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The fiery transformation of the dead is replete in our popular culture and Western modernity's death ways, and yet it is increasingly evident how little this disposal method is understood by archaeologists and students of cognate disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. In this regard, the archaeological study of cremation has much to offer. Cremation is a fascinating and widespread theme and entry-point in the exploration of the variability of mortuary practices among past societies. Seeking to challenge simplistic narratives of cremation in the past and present, the studies in this volume seek to confront and explore the challenges of interpreting the variability of cremation by contending with complex networks of modern allusions and imaginings of cremations past and present and ongoing debates regarding how we identify and interpret cremation in the archaeological record. Using a series of original case studies, the book investigates the archaeological traces of cremation in a varied selection of prehistoric and historic contexts from the Mesolithic to the present in order to explore cremation from a practice-oriented and historically situated perspective.

Considered one of the most irreligious countries in the world, in spite of continued religious affiliation of the majority of the population, Denmark is an important case to explore the limits of secularization. This study challenges the secularization thesis from the perspective of lived religion, innovatively examining death-related behaviour and hitherto overlooked religion in relation to organ donation, churchyard design, grave visiting rituals, and graveyard photographs. Dissertation. (Series: Death Studies. Nijmegen Studies in Thanatology, Vol. 4) [Subject: Danish Studies, Religious Studies, Death Studies]

This book examines how Christians in Asia express their religion under the spectre of the nation state and processes of globalization. Considering Christianity's growing prominence, and the various ways Asian nation states respond to this growth, this book brings into sharper analytical focus the ways in which the faith is articulated at the local, regional, and global level.