Cultural thanatology: an exploration of the religious, spiritual, and existential concerns of elderly terminally-ill diasporic Hindus
Thanatology is defined as the interdisciplinary study of death and dying. Religious beliefs, cultural patterns and insights into the spirit or the non-material aspects of our being form a component of thanatological studies and may be designated as ‘cultural thanatology’. This ethnographic study exp...
| Published in: | Journal of religion, spirituality & aging |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
2021
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| In: |
Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Year: 2021, Volume: 33, Issue: 3, Pages: 311-331 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hindus
/ Diaspora (Social sciences)
/ Incurably ill person
/ Emotional burden
/ Spirituality
B Thanatology / Cultural indicator |
| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism AD Sociology of religion; religious policy BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism ZA Social sciences |
| Further subjects: | B
cultural narratives
B Spirituality B Religion B Spiritual well-being |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Thanatology is defined as the interdisciplinary study of death and dying. Religious beliefs, cultural patterns and insights into the spirit or the non-material aspects of our being form a component of thanatological studies and may be designated as ‘cultural thanatology’. This ethnographic study explores the religious, spiritual and existential concerns of a group of elderly, terminally-ill South African Hindus. Using grounded theory, the in-depth interviews, which provided a rich tapestry of participants’ religious and spiritual values and beliefs in the quest to find meaning in the midst of ‘end-of-life’ despair, were thematically analysed. Participants expressed both spiritual relief and spiritual pain based on their individual cultural constructs of religious beliefs and customs. We found that poorly interpreted or dysfunctional aspects of religious belief contributed to psychological disturbances, and that a frustrated existential quest for meaning manifested itself as spiritual distress. However, although they reflected varying levels of pain and suffering, mentally and physically, coping and acceptance were also prevalent among all the participants of this study. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-8049 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/15528030.2020.1757011 |