This thesis explores the contemporary management of death in an urban setting. It provides a long overdue empirical re-appraisal of the way in which groups within society process the dead and continue to surround death with rituals. In particular, it addresses itself to a totally neglected area within British sociology, since the last major work, Geoffrey Gorer's Death Grief and Mourning in Contemporary Britain, appeared in 1965. Researcher presence a few hours after death had occurred and participant observation and interviews throughout the subsequent actions of the bereaved, funeral directors, clergy and others within the death system, illuminated the production of ritual from a number of different standpoints. This has thrown into relief, the ordinary 'common' or 'folk religious' understandings by which actors make sense of the trauma, as well as the official interests and constraints. There was substantial recourse to secondary data in occupational journals to cross check themes and inferences. The work takes account of the main theoretical perspectives within the literature which concentrate upon a perception of death as a 'taboo' subject, suggesting that modern society 'fears' or 'denies' it and that it has became 'dirty', 'medicalised' and 'invisible'. The thesis concludes that groups within the death system promulgate a number of differing orientations towards death so that it has been 'decontextualised' rather than denied and that there is 'ignorance' rather than 'fear'. There was an increasing trend towards the personalisation of ritual by the bereaved. This study contributes to the sociological understanding of funeral directors and clergy as occupational groups. It also goes beyond the narrowly economic critiques and surveys to reveal the nature of the relationships and work routines underlying the production of funeral ritual in the city. The information has important implications for decision makers within many areas of death and bereavement, particularly in the light of the recent Office of Fair Trading Survey (1989) which suggests that government intervention may be necessary within the Funeral Industry in order to achieve a better standard of service for the bereaved.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 474 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 461-474). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

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>

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Family ritual manuals were lithurgical texts whose aim was proliferation of Confucian doctrine into the daily life of Vietnamnese population. This thesis describes the environment and circumstances under which the individual manuals originated and developed, and subsequently the nature of the Vietnamese manuals themselves. The following part of the thesis analyses funeral rituals in the most common family rituals manual in Vietnam, Thọ mai gia lễ. The aim is to compare the Vietnamese text with the best known model for manuals devoted to family rituals - the Family Rituals Manual by Neoconfucian philospher Zhu Xiho, and to expose and interpret the identified differences.

This thesis traces the trajectory of Chen Gu’s work over a three year period, looking at major influences such as Bustos and Saville, on her painting and film projects. She explores the concept of childhood, memory, and portraiture.

Abstract Gambling is a universal activity, although not a recently studied behavior in Sociological literature. This study uses symbolic interaction, play, and illusion of control theories to examine luck rituals at casino slots. Gamblers were observed through covert participant observations over a seven-month observation period in The casino, and yielded 388 observations. Analysis of the gamblers demonstrated the fact that luck rituals do exist and are used at the slot machines in a casino setting. Luck rituals are associated with participants’ belief in their ability to control the uncontrollable. The illusion of control provides a framework through which the results are discussed. Illusions of control are particularly likely to occur in situations with a high amount of uncertainty. This study showed that more women and African Americans participate in luck rituals than men.

Magister Artium - MA / This thesis analyses post-independence Namibian Heritage and identity discourse and its contestations through the contemporary public performance of olufuko. Olufuko is the ritual of female initiation that marks the transition of young girls into adulthood. The initiation has been an important aspect of the Aawambo women's identity that live in north-central Namibia and southern Angola as it is believed to legitimise womanhood. I show how Owambo residents embrace regional or ethnic diversity through the performance of olufuko as a way of expressing their belonging. Throughout the thesis, I also reflect on the fact that through national attendance at, participation in, and performing of olufuko by state representatives and individuals, from all the regions of Namibia and beyond, people have expressed their belonging to a nation state. During olufuko ceremonies, both regional and national state representatives advocated the ideas of nation-building through 'unity in diversity', which emphasises the diversity of ethnic backgrounds while harmoniously coexisting. Following Becker (2004), and Becker and Lentz (2013), my central argument is that in the contemporary dispensation, national citizenship in Namibia appears to be defined largely through the emphasis on regional or ethnic diversity. In my discussion, I show how the state appropriated and mediated the olufuko ceremony as a national event, though it was performed at the regional level. I show how national identity was visibly represented by national symbols such as the national flag and anthem and how it was audibly live broadcasted by state television and radio during the event. This signified the event as national. The thesis further investigates how national heritage is discussed in post-colonial Namibia by looking into the controversies between the state and ELCIN religious leaders which emanated from the performance of olufuko. The thesis is based on ethnographic research, which was conducted between December 2012, during olufuko ceremonies that took place in villages in Ombadja, and August 2013, when it culminated in participant observation during the public olufuko ceremony at Outapi, Ombalantu.

Thesis (M.A. (African languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / Musi ro sedza ḓivhazwakale ya murundu kha Vhavenḓa ri wana zwauri musi Vhavenḓa vha sa athu u kona u fumbisa vho vha vha tshi fumbiseliwa vhatukana vhavho nga Vhalemba na nga Vhapeli. Luambo lune lwa shumisiwa murunduni ndi lwo khetheaho ngauri a lu fani na luambo lune vhathu vha lu shumisa ḓuvha na ḓuvha. Luambo lwa hone lu shumisiwa murunduni fhedzi. Arali o yaho murunduni a nga shumisa luambo lwa murunduni hu na a songo yaho a nga si pfe uri hu khou ambiwa nga ha mini. Nyimbo dzine dza imbiwa murunduni ndi nnzhi vhukuma. Naho hu na nyimbo dzine dza imbiwa nga Tshivenḓa murunduni ya Vhavenḓa ngoho ndi ya uri vhunzhi hadzo ndi dza Tshisuthu. Milayo ya murunduni ndi minzhi vhukuma fhedzi ine ya vha ya ndeme ndi ya u gudisa vhatukana u kona u ṱhonifha, u shuma, na u konḓelela. Kha milayo ya murunduni vhatukana vha funziwa u kona u tshila na vhaṅwe vhathu ngauri muthu a nga si kone u tshila e eṱhe vhutshiloni.

This study examined the relationship between rituals and marital adjustment among a sample of newlyweds. Rituals and marital adjustment were defined and their importance in family life outlined. Five research questions guided the study: (1) Is ritual activity associated with marital adjustment and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (2) Is ritual activity associated with marital satisfaction and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (3) Is ritual activity associated with cohesion and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (4) Is ritual activity associated with consensus and length of courtship for newlyweds?; and (5) Is there a difference between husbands and wives on the number and types of rituals (family celebrations, family traditions, and family interactions) that couples report are most related to their overall marital quality? Ritual activity was measured by a new instrument created for the present study: the Ritual Inventory (RI). Marital adjustment and its components (satisfaction, cohesion, and consensus) were measured using the Revised Dyadi c Adjustment Scale (RDAS). Length of courtship was used as a control variable. The analysis revealed no relationship between rituals and marital adjustment for newlyweds. Length of courtship was a significant factor with marital adjustment and marital satisfaction . Implications and suggestions for future research are presented.