Children's Understanding of Death

Victoria Talwar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She is a graduate of the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and Queen's University, Canada. She specializes in the social development of young children. She has published numerous papers in various journals including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Law and Human Behavior and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. Paul L. Harris is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education at Harvard University. He is a graduate of Sussex and Oxford Universities and has previously taught at the University of Lancaster, the Free University of Amsterdam, the London School of Economics, and Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. A developmental psychologist with interests in the development of cognition, emotion and imagination, Harris is currently studying how young children learn about history, science and religion on the basis of what trusted informants tell them, rather than from firsthand observation. He is the author of The Work of the Imagination (2000). Michael Schleifer is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Quebec in Montreal. He is a graduate of Oxford University (Philosophy) and McGill University (Psychology). His past appointments include being Professor of Ethics at McGill University and Clinical Psychologist at the Montreal Children's Hospital Department of Psychiatry. He has published more than a hundred articles in philosophical, psychological and educational journals and has edited works on identity, cooperation, the development of judgment, morality and emotion. His latest books are Talking about Feelings and Values with Children (2006) and How to Have a Dialogue of Mutual Respect with your Teenager (2007).

"Children’s understanding of death is a fascinating topic, but difficult to study because of its troubling and taboo nature. This edited collection is the first of its kind, and it’s going to have a big impact. The essays are thoughtful, provocative, and well-written. They explore a variety of issues, including afterlife beliefs in other cultures, the relationship between children’s scientific and religious understanding, philosophical and legal issues, and the moving question of how to talk about death with children – including with those who are themselves dying. This is valuable reading for developmental psychologists, educators, and parents.” – Paul Bloom, Yale University

• 1. Death, ancestors and the living dead: learning without teaching in Madagascar Rita Astuti; 2. Death in Spain, Madagascar, and beyond Paul L. Harris; 3. Ambivalent teaching and painful learning: mastering the facts of life Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi; 4. Death in the lives of children Margaret M. Mahon; 5. Talking to children about death in educational settings Victoria Talwar; 6. Responsible believing Miriam McCormick; 7. Thoughts and feelings: children and William James have it right! Michael Schleiferi; 8. How the law constructs its understanding of death Ray Madoff.