Jennifer Lorna Hockey Books

This text provides an approach to death, dying and bereavement, and the sociology of the body. The authors challenge existing theories that put the body at the centre of identity. They go beyond the body to highlight the persistence of self-identity even when the body itself has been disposed of or is missing. Chapters draw together a wide range of empirical data, including cross-cultural case studies and fieldwork to examine both the management of the corpse and the construction of the soul or spirit by focusing on the work of: undertakers; embalmers; coroners; clergy; clairvoyants; exorcists; and bereavement counsellors.

This collection addresses the theme of representation in anthropology. Its fourteen articles explore some of the directions in which contemporary anthropology is moving, following the questions raised by the "writing culture" debates of the 1980s.It includes discussion of issues such * the concept of caste in Indian society* scottish ethnography* how dreams are culturally conceptualised* representations of the family* culture as conservation* gardens, theme parks and the anthropologist in Japan* representation in rural Japan* people's place in the landscape of Northern Australia* representing identity of the New Zealand Maori.