Symbolic Loss

Historically, many world cultures have linked three disparate phenomena: collective loss; mourning; and the construction of monuments and cultural symbols to represent the loss over time and render it memorable, meaningful, and thereby bearable. In a century of great loss, observers of western culture have commented on the decline of mourning practices and the absence of their associated rituals. The ten essays assembled here by Peter Homans represent, in a genuinely interdisciplinary way, the recent work of scholars attempting to understand this trend. Arranged in sections on cultural studies, architecture, history, and psychology, this accessible collection can serve as an introduction to the uses of mourning in contemporary cultures.

Contributors:
Paul A. Anderson, University of Michigan
Doris L. Bergen, University of Notre Dame
Mitchell Breitwieser, University of California, Berkeley
Peter Homans, University of Chicago
Patrick H. Hutton, University of Vermont
Marie-Claire Lavabre, National Institute for Scientific Research, Paris
Peter C. Shabad, Northwestern University Medical School and
Columbia Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center
Levi P. Smith, Art Institute of Chicago
Julia Stern, Northwestern University
James E. Young, University of Massachusetts, Amherst