Theoretical, historical and quantitative studies of the obituary -- Introduction -- Collective memory -- The historical sociology of death -- Bourdieu's social theory and the obituary -- The Times' obituaries in 1900 and 1948 -- The social value of death: the microworld of the editors -- The lives we choose to remember: a quantitative analysis (with Esperanza Bielsa) -- Memories burnished at the shock of death : discourse analysis of newspaper obituaries -- The politicians' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The writers' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The artists' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The sports obituaries, 1999-2006 -- The trade-unionists' obituaries, 1999-2006 -- Conclusion -- Tables -- Bibliography
Summary
The first serious academic study of obituaries, this book focuses on how societies remember. Fowler makes great use of the theories of Pierre Bordieu, arguing that obituaries are one important component in society's collective memory
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-284) and index
