This thesis explores the problematic nature of theodicy (theological explanations for suffering). It questions what kind of meaning-making might occur in place of theodicy in societies which are undergoing a change in attitude to religious belief and practise. In doing so, it looks to shed light on how the Church might respond to instances of mass suffering (referred to as 'ground-zero' events) and other traumatic experiences in the current social context. Drawing on a practical theological methodology, and employing ethnographic tools of investigation, this thesis includes data collected via interviews (thirty in total) and observation with the Sunday Assembly. This burgeoning global movement is not religiously affiliated, yet it draws on the structures and practises of the Christian Church to the extent that it has been referred to as an 'atheist church' (and, laterally, a 'secular congregation.') Data gathered at communities in London and Edinburgh provides a critical basis for theological reflection on the group's responses to suffering. The key finding of this thesis concerns the Sunday Assembly's adoption of a philosophy of celebration, which, in practise, can lead to the 'passing over' of suffering on both a global and individual scale. In response, this thesis concludes with a reflection on the Church's propensity to also avoid discussion of suffering, and suggests that churches resist this by constructing a 'culture of lament' in which suffering might be acknowledged and addressed. This practise is intended to prevent Christian communities from evading traumatic events, or else reverting to potentially harmful theodicies.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de NÃvel Superior / O presente estudo apresenta como temÃtica o luto vivido por famÃlias cujos entes queridos foram doadores de ÃrgÃos. Discute-se a necessidade de os profissionais de saÃde conhecer as etapas do luto e a sutileza em percebÃ-las nos momentos de aproximaÃÃo com a famÃlia, instrumento valioso no processo de cuidar, em especial no enfrentamento da morte. Teve como objetivos, assistir a famÃlia no processo do luto apÃs doaÃÃo de ÃrgÃos; descrever as histÃrias das famÃlias de doadores de ÃrgÃos, focando nas experiÃncias de perda e no processo de doaÃÃo, analisar o processo de enfrentamento do luto da famÃlia apÃs doaÃÃo de ÃrgÃos e analisar a visita domiciliÃria como estratÃgia de promoÃÃo da saÃde de famÃlias em luto. Pesquisa qualitativa, utilizou a HistÃria TÃpica de vida. O local do estudo foi a Zona norte do estado do CearÃ, Brasil, onde foram identificados 39 doadores de mÃltiplos ÃrgÃos no perÃodo de 2009 a 2011, sendo a visita domiciliar a estratÃgia de cuidado e coleta de dados com oito famÃlias. Foram descritas as HistÃrias tÃpicas das famÃlias e analisados os seus lutos: identificou-se a estrutura familiar, o desenvolvimento e a sua funcionalidade, pelo Modelo Calgary de AvaliaÃÃo Familiar. Este estudo fornece contribuiÃÃes para os profissionais da saÃde, principalmente para enfermeiros, em relaÃÃo à importÃncia do cuidado à pessoa em processo de luto, sendo necessÃria a revisÃo de prÃticas que inibem a exposiÃÃo dos sentimentos, as polÃticas de acolhimento familiar em InstituiÃÃes e a prÃtica efetiva de visitas domiciliarias como metodologia de cuidado familiar. AlÃm disso, essa aproximaÃÃo entre famÃlia e equipe à uma oportunidade de os profissionais reverem suas prÃticas, nas suas fragilidades e possibilidades terapÃuticas. Esse processo proporcionaria a elaboraÃÃo constante do cuidado compartilhado. Essa pesquisa evidencia a necessidade, ainda, de estudos para sistematizaÃÃo de prÃticas de profissionais em especial de enfermeiros com a visÃo da promoÃÃo da saÃde mental de familiares em luto, visto que para o sofrimento da perda, o abraÃo cuidador à o ponto de partida. / The present study has as its central theme of discussion grief experienced by families whose loved ones were organ donors. It discusses the need for health professionals to know the stages of grief and subtlety to perceive them approaching in moments with family, valuable tool in the care process, especially in the face of death. This research aimed to assist the family in the grieving process after organ donation. Specifically, the objective is also to describe the stories of the families of organ donors, focusing on the experiences of loss and the donation process, analyze the coping process of grieving family after organ donation and analyze how the home visit strategy to promote the health of families in mourning. It is a qualitative research and used the Topical History of life. The site was the area north of the state of CearÃ, where 39 were identified multiple organ donors in the period from 2009 to 2011, being the home visit strategy and careful data collection with eight families who agreed to participate. Were described topical stories of families and analyzed their grief: identified the family structure, development and its functionality at Calgary Family Assessment Model. This study provides contributions for health professionals, mainly nurses about the importance of care for the person grieving process, necessitating a revision of practices that inhibit the exposure of feelings, policies foster care in institutions and effective practice home visits as a method of family care. Moreover, this approach between family and staff is an opportunity for professionals to review their practices, their weaknesses and therapeutic possibilities. This process would provide the constant construction of shared care. In this sense, it signals the need also to work with the vision of promoting the mental health of families in mourning, as for the pain of loss, the embrace caregiver is the starting point.

Long ago the stories common to men were clearly present in their architecture. Sculpture, mosaics, paintings, stained-glass windows, all blatantly told the beginning, the morals, the epics, and future of humanity. Today these elements have all but disappeared along with the stories that they told. One story still common to humanity is the act of death, transcending culture, nationality, or creed. The pages to follow disclose an architecture for the emotional state of mourning. The seven spaces of this architecture exist in three dimensions: the narrative, the emotive, and sacred. / Master of Architecture

Descriptions of mourning adornments in England and New Orleans in the nineteenth century are used to argue that many of the customs of mourning in England -- the designs, themes, and materials -- also were present in New Orleans. This study draws from these observations and sources to suggest that mourning practices involving jewelry and costume became more functional and less formal in both England and New Orleans as the century progressed, while French customs retained and even grew in complexity. The high level of trade between Britain and New Orleans during the nineteenth century, reflected in the jewelry and costume of Louisiana, supports an argument that this new world city was influenced by, absorbed and incorporated social customs and activities that were useful to them, drawn from a wider range of cultures and peoples than perhaps are usually mentioned in historical accounts.

No description available.

Within a year I lost three close family members. My grandfather, my grandmother and my stepfather. Three very different deaths and therefore very different mourning periods were entangled and intertwined. Death suddenly became a ubiquitous part of my life, and the sorrow an overshadowing part of my everyday. This period in my life became the starting point for my thesis 'Dying Traditions'. In todays Western Society we have become so good at prolonging life, that most people get to live a long life and die of old age. But the advancements in medical science have, together with the institutionalization, removed death from our daily life. We are no longer in contact with death aside from what we see through media and movies. We are missing a way of coping with the natural death, which makes it difficult to grasp and surrounds it with a taboo. With my work I want to facilitate a conversation surrounding death. By the use of contemporary jewellery and silversmithing work I want to place the conversation and presence of death in both the public, private and personal space. I want to create a starting point for new rituals to work through a mourning period. I make use of my own personal experiences as a starting point to create contemporary Memento Mori objects fitting for todays Northern European Society. / <p>Photos are removed due to copy rights.</p>

This choreographic thesis describes the conceptual foundations underlying the development of the dance, Here. Here uses text and movement to explore the challenge of locating of locating oneself in this particular institution. It asks the questions: what happens when our personal needs conflict with the structure of this institution? How do we use our limited capacities to exist / resist / care for each other in this place? Reflections on Here describes the choreographic inquiries and discoveries that contributed to the development of Here. It includes research on desire and mourning, as well as reflections on the power of autobiographical dance. Reflections on Here analyzes the work of Bill T. Jones and Cynthia Oliver as a way of understanding how autobiographical dance and text may be used to support one another in performance. It examines how work in the studio as well as in performance can build a feeling of “compassionate power” onstage. This idea of “compassionate power” is used in this project to describe the somatic principles that may embody the loving action that takes place during collective organizing. These somatic principles include sensing and working with the weight of the body on the floor and working with momentum rather than forcing movements to take place. Reflections on Here analyzes how the idea of compassionate power infused the development of Here, and connects the work of choreographers who are concerned with showing personhood and their sociopolitical landscape onstage. Finally, Reflections on Here acknowledges the necessity for this choreographic project to be contextualized within – and connected to – the ongoing brave and compassionate organizing happening at Scripps College.

In the aftermath of Argentina’s last dictatorship (1976-1983), the organisations created by the relatives of the disappeared deployed the trope of a ‘wounded family’. The unspoken rule was that only those related by blood to the missing were entitled to ask for justice. This thesis queers this biological tradition. Drawing from performance studies and queer theory, it develops an alternative framework for understanding the transmission of trauma beyond bloodline inscriptions. It shows how grief brought into light an idea of community that exceeds traditional family ties. In order to demonstrate this, the thesis builds an archive of non-normative acts of mourning. This archive crosses different generations. The introduction utilises the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo’s statement ‘Our Children gave birth to us’ as the departure for a non-biological linage. Chapter 1 shows how the black humour that informs H.I.J.O.S., the association created by the children of the disappeared, works as a form of affective reparation in the face of loss. Chapter 2 proposes a dialogue between Los Rubios (Albertina Carri, 2003), M (Nicolás Prividera, 2007) and La mujer sin cabeza (Lucrecia Martel, 2008) to show how these films manage to displace the normative cult of the victim. Chapter 3 conceives the cooking sessions that take place at ESMA former detention camp as a form of conversion of this site of death. Chapter 4 explores Lola Arias’ Mi vida después (2009) as an intergenerational artefact for the transmission of trauma on- and off-stage. Chapter 5 considers Félix Bruzzone’s novella Los topos (2008) as the announcement of a new language of kinship. In conclusion, the thesis argues that the aftermath of violence not only produced pain but also new forms of pleasure. Ultimately, it sheds light on a new sense of ‘being together’ that has emerged in the wake of loss.

The work I created in conjunction with this paper is a representation of myself and my family, both individually and as a unit. The work was spawned by a search for my identity at my current age of 25. The outcome is an installation of photographs that focus on my heritage and family work ethic and a series of altar-like tables highlighting the personalities of my grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, and sister when they were experiencing life at my stage. I believe that this work culminates in defining me. Every element, every individual, reflects a part of myself in the people I love. The following paper explores the elements that come into play in the creation of this work.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains ii, 54 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-54).