Cultural, Existential and Phenomenological Dimensions of Grief Experience

This innovative volume examines the phenomenological, existential and cultural dimensions of grief experiences. It draws on perspectives from philosophy, psychology and sociocultural studies to focus on the experiential dimension of grief, moving beyond understanding from a purely mental health and psychiatry perspective. The book considers individual, shared and collective experiences of loss.

Chapters explore the intersections between the profound existential experiences of bereavement and how this is mediated by sociocultural norms and practices. It points to new directions for the future conceptualization and study of grief, particularly in the experiential dimension. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, this important book will appeal to academics, researchers and students in the fields of death and bereavement studies, wellbeing and mental health, philosophy and phenomenological studies.

BIOAllan Koster is Senior Researcher at the National Center for Grief, Denmark and Research Fellow at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark. Ester Holte Kofod is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Psychology at the University of Aalborg, Denmark