LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

A Re(Defining) Moment: Eulogizing Good Death in the Face of COVID-19.

Photo from wikipedia

Master narratives of "Good death" that render the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 fatalities as inherently "Bad" exacerbate the profound layers of grief people are experiencing as a result of the pandemic.… Click to show full abstract

Master narratives of "Good death" that render the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 fatalities as inherently "Bad" exacerbate the profound layers of grief people are experiencing as a result of the pandemic. This (re)defining moments essay engages autoethnographic writing and eulogy as methods to resist such master narratives. In particular, the author re-stories the loss of Katherine, a beloved one who died of COVID-19 "alone" in a hospital. The eulogy opens opportunities for sensemaking and (re)framing that allow the author and others to move from questioning why our loved ones have to die alone to asking how we resist master narratives of Good death and lonely dying. In particular, the ceremonial narrative counter-stories Good death by exploring alternative understandings of dying alone and through honoring the many ways that Katherine dedicated her life to "accompanying" those experiencing loneliness in the face of suffering.

Keywords: good death; death; moment eulogizing; master narratives; defining moment; face

Journal Title: Health communication
Year Published: 2021

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.