The Sociology of Death and Dying: An Overview

This paper reviews the main sociological responses to death and dying by overviewing the central literature in the area known as the ‘Sociology of Death’. The main findings and arguments are outlined and analysed in three sections which cover the Anthropology of Death, the Sociology of Death and the Sociology of Dying. Criticism is summarised at the end of the paper and a suggestion is offered for future work in the area. It is concluded that an examination of dying from the perspective of those dying will give us a more complex understanding of different patterns of death. Such an analysis will fill the large gaps in our present knowledge about the dying process. It will also heavily contrast with simplistic views of dying formed by an over attention to the care givers' realities.