Journal of Iranian Social Studies

A Critical Analysis of Social Thoughts about Death with regard to Iran's Circumstance

Document Type : scientific

Authors

Zohre Bayat Rizi 1
Reza Taslimi Tehrani 2

1 Associate Professor, Alberta University, Canada

2 Ph.D Student of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tehran University

Abstract
From the 1950s until 1990s the denial of death notion dominated theoretical discussions about death in sociology and psychology. Ernest Becker’s Denial of Death (1973) is perhaps the most famous theory about this subject. As we approach the fortieth anniversary of its publication, it is an appropriate moment to raise this question that what did make the denial thesis so dominant for so long, and to investigate the merits of alternative theories proposed. Focusing primarily on social theories, this paper provides two potential explanations for the longevity of the denial thesis: 1) to paraphrase Foucault, the denial hypothesis is the other side of the incitement to discourse about death; 2) although the denial of death thesis is not comprehensive, it is based on reality. In the concluding section, I offer a theoretical synthesis that takes into account the merits of the denial thesis but goes beyond it to construct a new and more flexible conception.
 

Keywords

Denial of Death
Death Taboo
Sequestration of Death
Medicalization of Death
Sociological Theories of Death
Journal of Iranian Social Studies
Volume 10, Issue 2.3
Summer 2017
Pages 36-56

  • Receive Date 26 June 2018
  • First Publish Date 26 June 2018
  • Publish Date 21 June 2016

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