Life sentences
Subtitle: the modern ordering of mortality
By: Zohreh Bayatrizi.
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Toronto; Buffalo
Language: eng
Number of pages: 202
ISBN-13: 9780802097552
Subjects: Death -- Social aspects -- Western countries -- History; Death -- Social aspects -- History; Life and death, Power over -- Social aspects -- History; Mort -- Aspect social -- Occident -- Histoire; Mort -- Aspect social -- Histoire; Pouvoir sur la vie et la mort -- Aspect social -- Histoire
Description: "Since the beginning of time death has been regarded as a symbolically meaningful yet unfathomable event. In Life Sentences Zohreh Bayatrizi looks at the many concerted attempts dating back to the mid-seventeenth century to strip death of its mystery, and to order, manage, and transform it from an individualized and fatalistic event to a social phenomenon that allows intervention. Examining a wide range of archival, statistical, and discursive materials, she discusses the process of understanding that has evolved in terms of four quasi-biblical commandments: thou shalt not die violently; thou shalt not die prematurely; thou shalt not kill thyself; and thou shalt not die an undignified death."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [171]-187) and indexes.