Overview
Why a comparative study of death and dying?
The subject of death is so taboo in American culture that people use metaphors to avoid talking about it while also using death-laden language in everyday communication. This contradiction leaves many Americans death illiterate, with limited functional knowledge of the process of death and dying, the psychology of bereavement, or end-of-life planning. Travel to New York City and three countries with higher levels of death acceptance, Ghana, Mexico, and Indonesia, to understand how cultural practices, social policies, and creative communities confront and celebrate death.
Start in New York City where you will meet deathcare workers, dark tourism operators, community organizers, and spiritual leaders to understand death and dying on a neighborhood and national scale. In Ghana, explore how death is viewed as a celebration of life, while investigating the ethics of dark tourism and how historical traumas impact Ghana and the U.S. Your next stop is Mexico where you will witness how Indigenous beliefs and Catholicism contribute to contemporary attitudes, rituals, and practices and how grassroots organizers advocate for people preparing to die. Lastly, in Indonesia learn about perspectives on death where the line between life and death lies in a gray area as shown through contemporary practices and traditional art.
Receive up to $1,000 in flight credits when you join this new program! Learn more HERE
Highlights
- Examine how different cultures conceptualize and celebrate death.
- Engage in “death over dinner” conversations facilitated by local leaders, deathcare workers, and community members.
- Interview changemakers fighting against policies that preserve life for the privileged and perpetuate death for marginalized peoples.
- Learn to “read a cemetery” from multiple perspectives by interpreting the symbolism, aesthetics, and history of gravesites.
- Acknowledge, critique, and define what it means to engage in ethical dark tourism.
Prerequisites
None