'Characteristically perceptive ... this indispensable book shinesharsh X-rays through the western body politic to reveal a skeletonin the closet of recent social history.' New Statesman andSociety
'A brilliant, outstanding book.' Manna
'A fascinating, and at times novel, interpretation of thecultural meanings of death.' Times Higher EducationSupplement
'Bauman's work taken as a whole adds up to a formidable analysisand critique of modernity and its complement.' Social History ofMedicine
'Those who find pleasure ... in decoding the references, inpursuing ideas in a playful way, in enjoying once again the oldacademic wit and style, in exposing contradictions in our feeblesettlements and cultural rapprochernents will enjoy it enormously.'Reviewing Sociology
Zygmunt Bauman's new book is a brilliant exploration, from asociological point of view, of the 'taboo' subject in modernsocieties: death and dying. The book develops a new theory of theways in which human mortality is reacted to, and dealt with, insocial institutions and culture. The hypothesis explored in thebook is that the necessity of human beings to live with theconstant awareness of death accounts for crucial aspects of thesocial organization of all known societies. Two different 'lifestrategies' are distinguished in respect of reactions to mortality. One, 'the modern strategy', deconstructs mortality by translatingthe insoluble issue of death into many specific problems of healthand disease which are 'soluble in principle'. The 'post-modernstrategy' is one of deconstructing immortality: life is transformedinto a constant rehearsal of 'reversible death', a substitution of'temporary disappearance' for the irrevocable termination of life.
This profound and provocative book will appeal to a wideaudience. It will also be of particular interest to students andprofessionals in the areas of sociology, anthropology, theology andphilosophy.
