The Social Symbolism of Grief and Mourning

In this text Roger Grainger draws attention to the role of funerals in promoting the personal and social adjustment of the bereaved. The book explores the significance of many of the areas and stages connected with death, with chapters covering such topics as: attitudes towards death; our fear of death and dying; and rituals that surround these processes. By tying together folklore and traditional beliefs with actual funeral practices, both contemporary and modern, the author has created a work that examines the anthropological, psychological and superstitious aspects of our relationship to death and dying.