Question

ch 15. This is your last posting!!! Find an article or website that discusses a cultural or social approach to death. Relate the information to what you know about death and what the text mentions about death. Remember that your article or link should be unique and reputable (e.g a society or organization's website rather than a personal webpage). Mention the link or article in your post. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Answer 1

In the research paper on the comparative analyses of the approaches to death and dying in the United States and Turkey, anthropologist Darla Beaty (2015) presents how the notion of a ‘good’ death or the ethical reasoning in death is a cultural construct as different cultures may have different criteria for judging what is ethically right or wrong in matters of death in bioethical practices such as the administration of euthanasia in societies. In her study, she found that the two cultures differ in terms of three principles, Autonomy, Beneficence, and justice.

what was interesting is her analysis was how her interpretations were based in the emic views of the cultures which she’s studied rather than imposing her own cultural position and biases onto her data. Moving from such a position, Shen was able to provide a view of death a highly specific rather than a universal experience as cultures were found to vary in terms of their comfort with accepting other people’s decision to die . For instance, she found that the issue of autonomy of the individual is of greater concern in debates around euthanasia to people in the United States, while decisions are made entirely with family and physician involvement in Turkey.

However, the paper also presents points of similarities in term of understanding of the ethical implications of justice in death and the rituals of death. Both in the United States and in Turkey, end-of-life experiences are moderated through rituals and practices which draw from the faith-based beliefs of Islam and Christianity in Turkey and Christianity in the United States. Thus, differences in sociocultural, legal, and political factors that inform the experience of people in Turkey and in the United States also shape their thinking and decisions regarding the end-of-life.

References:

Beaty, D. (2015). ‘Approaches to Death and Dying: A Cultural Comparison of Turkey and the United States’. Omega: Journal of Deah and Dying. Volume: 70 issue: 3, page(s): 301-316.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222815568962