This revised edition of a cross-cultural study of rituals surrounding death has become a standard text in anthropology, sociology, and religion. Part of its fascination and success is that in understanding other people's death rituals we are able to gain a better understanding of our own. Peter Metcalf and Richard Huntington refer to a wide variety of examples from different continents and epochs. They compare the great tombs of the Berawan of Borneo and the pyramids of Egypt, or the dramas of medieval French royal funerals and the burial alive of the Dinka "masters of the spear" in the Sudan, and other burials which at first sight seem to have little in common. Many of these cases are anthropological classics, and the authors use these examples partly in order to illustrate the many different ways in which anthropologists have tried to interpret these rites. A new introduction reviews theoretical developments in the anthropological study of death since the book first appeared in 1979.
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Editorial Reviews
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"...a model of clarity. It can be read by specialist and non-specialist alike..." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
"...a readable and fascinating survey that on occasions borders on the brilliant." Choice
"...a readable and fascinating survey that on occasions borders on the brilliant." Choice
Book Description
This revised edition of a cross-cultural study of death rituals has become a standard text in anthropology, sociology, and religion. A new introduction reviews anthropological developments since its publication in 1979.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book for a new Anthropologist,
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This review is from: Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual (Paperback)
This is a good book which deals with funerary rites and traditions. It looks at how death is celebrated in various countries and through different cultures. I gave it four stars instead of five as I had hoped it would have dealt more with persons from an African and Aborigine environments.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groundbreaking ethnographies,
By Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual (Paperback)
This is by far the most enjoyable and fascinating comparative case-studies I've read concerning treatment of the dead in Southeast Asia. I suggest this book to anyone wishing to crossculturally examine views of the deceased and the rituals associated with death. Superb, absolutely brilliant.
Raven Digitalis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Celebration of death,
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This review is from: Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual (Paperback)
I am so impressed with the information in this book, it has been an asset for my research.
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First Sentence:
What could be more universal than death? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ceremonial weeping, mortuary exchanges, death rites, mortuary rites, intermediary period, secondary treatment, secondary burial, royal corpse, strong birds, mortuary practices, death essay Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Southeast Asia, United States, Deng Deng, Pyramid Age, Archaic Period, Deng Majok, Upper Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, Long Jegan, Lower Egypt, Ngok Dinka, Pyramids of Giza, Zoser's Step Pyramid, King Rama New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What could be more universal than death? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ceremonial weeping, mortuary exchanges, death rites, mortuary rites, intermediary period, secondary treatment, secondary burial, royal corpse, strong birds, mortuary practices, death essay Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Southeast Asia, United States, Deng Deng, Pyramid Age, Archaic Period, Deng Majok, Upper Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, Long Jegan, Lower Egypt, Ngok Dinka, Pyramids of Giza, Zoser's Step Pyramid, King Rama New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
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100
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- Death and the Regeneration of Life by Maurice Bloch on 4 pages
- The Rites of Passage by Arnold van Gennep on 4 pages
- On the Meaning of Death: Essays on Mortuary Rituals and Eschatological Beliefs (Uppsala Studies in Cultural Anthropology : No. 8) by Sven Cederroth in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford on page 25, page 193, and Back Matter
- Kings and Councillors: An Essay in the Comparative Anatomy of Human Society (Classics in Anthropology) by A. M. Hocart in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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- Journeys of the Soul, Anthropological Studies of Death, Burial and Reburial Practices in Borneo by William D. Wilder on 5 pages
- Last Rites: The Work of the Modern Funeral Director (Death, Value and Meaning) by Glennys Howarth on 5 pages
- Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross-Cultural Reader (The Human Lifecycle: Cross-Cultural Readings) by Antonius C. G. M. Robben in Front Matter, page 147, and page 177
- Death in England: An Illustrated History by Peter C. Jupp in Front Matter, page 36, and page 39
- The Dark Side of Humanity by Robert Parking in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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