Handbook of Death and Dying

Clifton D. Bryant is Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. He has been a faculty member there since 1972 and served as Department Chair from 1972 to 1982. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, he held full-time faculty teaching appointments at Western Kentucky University (Department Head 1967–1972), Millsaps College (Department Head 1963–1967), and the University of Georgia (1960–1963). He was Visiting Professor at Mississippi State University (Summer 1985) and at the Pennsylvania State University (Summer 1958). His  research appointments include Visiting Scientist at the U.S. Army Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (Summer 1993), Visiting Research Scholar with the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education  Program Mississippi State University; Summer 1985), and Visiting Research Scholar with Training and  Technology Project operated by the Resource Development Office of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc. (Summer 1987). His foreign teaching appointments include Visiting Fulbright Professor, Department and Graduate Institute of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China (1987–1988), and Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Xavier University, The  Ateneo, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (1984–1985). He was a participant in the U.S.  Department of Education’s 1998 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program in the People’s Republic of China (Summer 1998) and was also a participant in the U.S. Department of Education’s 1993 Fulbright- Hays Seminars Abroad Program in Hungary (Summer, 1993). Dr. Bryant served as President of the Southern Sociological Society (1978–1979) and as President of the Mid-South Sociological Association (1981–1982). He was the recipient of the Mid-South Sociological Association’s Distinguished Career Award in 1991 and the Distinguished Book Award in 2001. He is also the recipient of the Southern Sociological Society’s 2003 Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award.  He has been listed in Who’s Who in America since 1984 and in Who’s Who in the World since 1991. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta, Alpha Kappa Delta, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Phi Omega. Dr. Bryant was founder and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Sociological Symposium (1968–1980). He was also the founder of Deviant Behavior and served as Editor-in-Chief of that journal from 1978 to 1991.  He continues to serve as Chair of the Editorial Policy Board for the journal. He was editor of the Southern Sociologist (1970–1974). He has served as a member of the editorial board of Criminology (1978–1981),  Associate Editor of Sociological Forum (1979–1980), Associate Editor of Sociological Spectrum (1981– 1985), member of the Board of Advisory Editors of Sociological Inquiry (1981–1985) and also Associate  Editor of that journal (1997–2000). He was a member of the Board of Editors of Society and Animals (1997–1999) and was Associate Editor for a special issue of Marriage and Family Relations (Fall 1982). He is the author of Sexual Deviancy and Social Proscription; Khaki-Collar Crime: Deviant Behavior in Military Context; and Deviant Behavior: Occupational and Organizational Bases; editor of The  Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (four volumes); Deviant Behavior: Readings in the Sociology of Norm Violations; The Rural Work Force: Nonagricultural Occupations in America; Sexual Deviance in Sexual Context; The Social Dimensions of Work; and coeditor of Social Problems Today:  Dilemmas and Dimensions; Deviance and the Family; and Introductory Sociology: Selected Readings for the College Scene. He has published articles in a number of professional journals, including Social Forces, Society, Sociological Inquiry, Sociology and Social Research, Rural Sociology, Sociological Forum, American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of Sex Research, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, Journal of Leisure Sciences, Sociological Spectrum, The Rural Sociologist, Psychological Reports, Free  Inquiry in Creative Sociology, World Leisure and Recreation, Hort Technology, Anthrozoos, Applied  Behavioral Science Review, Man and Environmental Systems, The Southern Sociologist, and Deviant  Behavior. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Mississippi, did advanced graduate work at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), and received his Ph.D. degree from Louisiana State University.

“Well researched with lengthy bibliographies . . . The index is rich with See and See Also references . . . Its multidisciplinary nature makes it an excellent addition to academic collections.”

• VOLUME ONE: THE PRESENCE OF DEATHPreface: A Thanatological OdysseyDeath in Legal ContextIntroductionPART IDEATH IN CULTURAL CONTEXTCONFRONTING DEATHThe Universal Fear of Death and the Cultural Response - Calvin Conzelus Moore and John B. WilliamsonHistorical Changes in the Meaning of Death in the Western Tradition - William R. Wood and John B. WilliamsonDealing With Death: Western Philosophical Strategies - Michael R. TaylorDeath Denial: Hiding and Camouflaging Death - Bert Hayslip, Jr.Death, Dying, and the Dead in Popular Culture - Keith F. DurkinThe Death Awareness Movement: Description, History, and Analysis - Kenneth J. DokaKEEPING THE DEAD ALIVEThe Spiritualist Movement: Bringing the Dead Back - Charles F. EmmonsReincarnation: The Technology of Death - Jane DillonHosts and Ghosts: The Dead as Visitors in Cross-Cultural Perspective - Clifton D. BryantGhosts: The Dead Among Us - Charles F. EmmonsThe Malevolent "Undead": Cross-Cultural Perspectives - Keith P. JacobiTRANSCENDING DEATH: RELIGIOUS AFTER-DEATH BELIEFSSpirituality - John D. MorganReligion and the Mediation of Death Fear - Michael R. LemingChristian Beliefs Concerning Death and Life After Death - Donald E. GowanNear-Death Experiences as Secular Eschatology - Tillman Rodabough and Kyle ColeDEATH AND SOCIAL EXCHANGELife Insurance as Social Exchange Mechanism - Dennis L. PeckFull Military Honors": Ceremonial Interment as Sacred Compact - Timothy W. Wolfe and Clifton D. BryantSymbolic Immortality and Social Theory: The Relevance of an Underutilized Concept - Lee Garth Vigilant and John B. WilliamsonPART IIDEATH IN SOCIAL CONTEXT: VARIANTS IN MORALITY AND MEANINGTHE SOCIAL MODES OF DEATH: THE IMPORT OF CONTEXT AND CIRCUMSTANCESHistorical and Epidemiological Trends in Mortality in the United States - Vicki L. LambGlobal Mortality Rates: Variations and Their Consequences for the Experience of Dying - Clive SealeTo Die, by Mistake: Accidental Deaths - Lee Garth Vigilant and John B. WilliamsonMegadeaths: Individual Reactions and Social Responses to Massive Loss of Life - Jerome Rosenberg and Dennis L. PeckOn the Role and Meaning of Death in Terrorism - Lee Garth Vigilant and John B. WilliamsonDeath Attributed to Medical Error - Jerry T. McKnight and Pat NortonHomicidal Death - Steven A. Egger and Kim EggerPRE-PERSONALITY DEATHSPre-Personality Pregnancy Losses: Miscarriages, Stillbirths, and Abortions - Jack P. CarterSudden Infant Death Syndrome - Charles A. Corr and Donna M. CorrDEATH AS SOCIAL ENTITY: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF DEATHThe Evolution of the Legal Definition of Death - Tillman RodaboughDeath Education - Charles A. Corr and Donna M. CorrDEATH AS INTERMISSION: THE CONTINUATION OF IDENTITYThe Postself in Social Context - Jack KamermanPART IIIDEATH AND SOCIAL CONTROVERSYSUICIDEHistorical Suicide - Alan H. MarksSuicide and Suicide Trends in the United States, 1900-1999 - Dennis L. PeckSuicide Survivors: The Aftermath of Suicide and Suicidal Behavior - John L. McIntoshCross-Cultural Perspectives on Suicide - David LesterCAPITAL PUNISHMENTA History of Execution Methods in the United States - Trina N. SeitzCapital Punishment in the United States - Stephanie Picolo ManziMilitary Executions - J. Robert LillyABORTIONThe Abortion Issue in the United States - Michael C. KearlTHE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMICDying of AIDS and Social Stigmatization - Robin D. MoremenEUTHANASIAMedical Euthanasia - Gail C. WalkerABORTIONThe Abortion Issue in the United States - Michael C. KearlPhysician-Assisted Death - Monika ArdeltPART IVPASSING AWAY: DYING AS SOCIAL PROCESSDEATH AS SOCIAL PROCESS: THE APPROACH OF DEATHDeath Awareness and Adjustment Across the Life Span - Bert Hayslip, Jr., and Robert O. HanssonDying as Deviance: An Update on the Relationship Between Terminal Patients and Medical Settings - Charles EdgleyDEATH AS SOCIAL PROCESS: DYINGThe Dying Process - Graves E. EnckOn Coming to Terms With Death and Dying: Neglected Dimensions of Identity Work - Kent L. SandstromTHE INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT OF DEATHTHE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMICDying of AIDS and Social Stigmatization - Robin D. MoremenEUTHANASIAMedical Euthanasia - Gail C. WalkerDeath in Two Settings: The Acute Care Facility and Hospice - Sarah BrabantThe History of the Hospice Approach - Michael R. LemingDying in a Total Institution: The Case of Death in Prison - Francis D. Glamser and Donald A. CabanaFormal and Informal Caregiving at the End of Life - Pamela J. Kovacs and David P. FauriVOLUME TWO: THE RESPONSE TO DEATHBefore the FuneralThe Death Notification Process - Alan E. Stewart and Janice Harris LordThe Autopsy - James Claude Upshaw DownsA Social History of Embalming - Melissa Johnson WilliamsThe Organizational Resonse to DeathFallen Soldiers - Morten G. Ender, Paul T. Bartone, Thomas A. KolditzDeath-Related Works Systems Outside the Funeral Home - Watson Rogers II, Clifton D. BryantFuneralization in the United StatesThe American Family and the Processing of Death Prior to the 20th Century - Paul David Nygard and Catherine H. ReillyThe Evolution of the Funeral Home and the Occupation of Funeral Driector - Jerome J. SalomoneThe American Funeral - Bert Hayslip, Jr., Kenneth W. Sewell, Russell B. RiddleBlack Funeralization and Culturally Grounded Services - James L. Moore III and Clifton D. BryantOn the Economics of Death in the United States - Dwayne A. BanksFunerlization in Cross-Cultural PerspectiveThe Funeral and the Funeral Industry in the United Kingdom - Brian ParsonsPractices Surrounding the Dead in French-Speaking Belgium - Florence VandendorpePractices Surrounding the Dead in French-Speaking Belgium - Florence VandendorpeThe Native American Way of Death - Gerry R. CoxThe Hindu Way of Death - Anantanand RambachanThe Muslim Way of Death - Dawood H. SultanThe Japanese Way of Death - Hikaru SuzukiThe Taoist (Chinese) Way of Death - Linda Sun CrowderThe Jewish Way of Death - Ruben SchindlerPostfuneralization ActivitiesObituaries - Joyce E. WilliamsGracing God′s Acres: Some Notes on a Typology of Cemetery Visitation in Western Cultures - Joseph E. BoyleImpromptu Memorials to the Dead - Jon K. ReidDeath and Community Responses: Comfort Community and Culture - Willam J. Hauser and AnneMarie Scarisbrick-HauserMonuments in Motion: Gravemarkers, Cemeteries, and Memorials as Material Form and Context - Ann M. Palkovich and Ann Korologos BazaronnePART VIBody DispositionDisposing of the Dead: Elysium as Real EstateThe History of the American Cemetery and Some Reflections on teh Meaning of Death - Vicky M. MacLean and Joyce E. WillamsPet Burial in the United States - David D. WittDisposing of the Dead: Options and AlternativesCremation - Douglas J. DaviesBody Recycling - Kelly A. Joyce and John B. WilliamsonThe Iceman Cometh: The Cryonics Movements and Frozen Immortality - Clifton D. Bryant and Willam E. SnizekDisposing of the Dead: Minor Modes - DeAnn K. Gauthier, Nancy K. Chaudior, and Rhonda D. EvansDisposing of the Dead: Other Times, Other PlacesThe Social History of the European Cemetery - Harold MytumBody Disposition in Cross-Cultural Context: Prehistoric and Modern Non-Western Societies - Keith P. JacobiMummification and Mummies in Ancient Egypt - Peter Lacovara adn John BainesPART VII:THANATOLOGICAL AFTERMATHGrief and BereavementThe Evolution of Mourning and the Bereavement Role in the United States: Middle- and Upper-Class Americans - David E. BalkSocial Dimensions of Grief - Maria I. VeraThe Experience of Grief and Bereavement - Robert A. Neimeyer and Lois A. GaminoBereavement in Cross-Cultural Perspective - Paul C. RosenblattThe Social Impact of SurvivorhoodWidowhood and Its Social Implications - Felix M. BerardoChildren and the Death of a Parent - Eric LichtenParents and the Death of a Child - Sangeeta SinggPART VIII: THE LEGALITIES OF DEATHDeath in Legal ContexLiving Wills and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care - Carolyn PeveyThe Death Certificate: Civil Registration, Medical Certification, and Social Issues - Dennis L. PeckCoroner and Medical Examiner - James Claude Upshaw DownsDeath, Succession, and the Testamentory InheritanceThe Disposition of Property: Transfers Between the Dead and the Living - Robert K. Miller, Jr., Jeffrey P. Rosenfeld, and Stephen J. McNameeThe Last Will and Testament: A Neglected Document in Sociological Research - Clifton D. Bryant and Willaim E. SnizekThe Legal Regulation of Death-Related ActivitiesThe Regulation of Mortuary Science Education - Todd W. Van BeckCemetery Regulation in the United States - Robert M. FellsDeath and Legal BlameDeath and Legal Blame: Wrongful Death - Thomas J. VesperNegligent Death and Manslaughter - Frances P. BernatThe Dead as Legal Entity"Thanatological Crime": Some Conceptual Notes on Offenses Against the Dead as a Neglected Form of Deviant Behavior - Clifton D. BryantPART IX: THE CREATIVE IMAGINATION AND THE RESPONSE TO DEATHArtDeath in Art - Charles E. WaltonLiteratureCultural Concern with Death in Literature - Diana RoyerMusic"Arise, Ye More Than Dead!" Culture, Music, and Death - Robert KastenbaumOrganic SculptureDead Zoo Chic: Some Conceptual Notes on Taxidermy in American Social Life - Clifton D. Bryant and Donald J. ShoemakerPART X: THE FUTURE OF DEATHDeath in the Future: Prospects and Prognosis - Clifton D. Bryant, Charles Edgley, Michael R. Leming, Dennis L. Peck, and Kent L. Sandstrom