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Social Perspectives on Death and Dying, 4th Edition

Social Perspectives on Death and Dying, 4th Edition

A leading Canadian text on death and dying, now in its 4th edition — updated and expanded to help readers explore mortality with clarity, compassion, and cultural insight.

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About the book

How do we understand death, and what does it mean for the way we live? What can confronting death teach us about life, meaning, and our shared humanity? The perspectives we hold about death and dying are not fixed — they are socially shaped by history, culture, and personal experience.

This 4th edition of Social Perspectives on Death and Dying invites readers to confront these questions directly. Jeanette Auger, joined by Kerstin Roger and four new contributors, brings together the latest research, regulations, and debates on issues such as cremation, suicide, medical assistance in dying (MAID), Indigenous perspectives, and the role of media in shaping our understanding of death.

More than an academic text, this book is a guide for reflection. It challenges readers to face their own thoughts, fears, and feelings about mortality, while examining how Canadian society navigates both traditional practices and emerging, often controversial, choices.

With contributions from: Zohreh BayatRizi, Rita Giancola, Audrey Medwayosh, and Catherine White.

Gerontology Health & Illness Sociology

What people are saying

Linda Caissie, Gerontology Department, St. Thomas University
“This book offers a much needed applied and accessible approach to a sensitive and socially important topic of death and dying. I highly support this book.”

Stephen Claxton-Oldfield, Psychology Department, Mount Allison University
“This book is essential reading for Canadian students interested in working in the mental health or medical fields, and anyone who wishes to learn about the topics of death and dying.”

Authors

Jeanette A. Auger

Jeanette Auger is a professor emeritus of sociology at Acadia University, where she taught full-time for more than forty years and still teaches two online courses. She has written or co-authored nine books, most in the field of gerontology/aging and queer studies. As well as her teaching and research experience, she has also worked in a variety of capacities as a community development researcher and volunteer, specifically in organizations which provide services and programs to older people and their important ones. She was one of the founders of the Valley Hospice Society and chaired the board of a multi-complex seniors facility in the Annapolis Valley. Her work is intended to assist older people and those who are dying because her philosophy is that we all study and try to assist in our own aging.

Kerstin Roger

Kerstin Roger is a professor at the College of Community and Global Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. Her social science research focuses on the family, caregiving, aging and end of life; global health and wellness across the lifespan, including abuse of older adults; and chronicity and interface with health care systems. Roger has been a principal investigator on multisite nationally funded mixed methods and qualitative research (e.g., CIHR, PHAC, SSHRC, Movember, PrairieAction), as well as conducted federal, provincial and regionally funded research. She has worked on international collaborations, local not-for-profit community initiatives, and continues to co-author and engage graduate students in her research.