Farewell to the world : a history of suicide / Marzio Barbagli ; translated by Lucinda Byatt.
Material type:
TextPublication details: Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity, [2015]Edition: Revised and updated English editionDescription: xii, 408 pages, 32 unnumbered pages : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cmISBN: - 9780745662459 (paperback)
- 0745662455 (paperback)
- 362.2809 BAR
| Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Loan | Moylish Library Main Collection | 362.2809 BAR (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 39002100623207 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
What drives a person to take his or her own life? Why would an individual be willing to strap a bomb to himself and walk into a crowded marketplace, blowing himself up at the same time as he kills and maims the people around him? Does suicide or 'voluntary death' have the same meaning today as it had in earlier centuries, and does it have the same significance in China, India and the Middle East as it has in the West? How should we understand this distressing, often puzzling phenomenon and how can we explain its patterns and variations over time?
In this wide-ranging comparative study, Barbagli examines suicide as a socio-cultural, religious and political phenomenon, exploring the reasons that underlie it and the meanings it has acquired in different cultures throughout the world. Drawing on a vast body of research carried out by historians, anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists and psychologists, Barbagli shows that a satisfactory theory of suicide cannot limit itself to considering the two causes that were highlighted by the great French sociologist Émile Durkheim - namely, social integration and regulation. Barbagli proposes a new account of suicide that links the motives for and significance attributed to individual actions with the people for whom and against whom individuals take their lives.
This new study of suicide sheds fresh light on the cultural differences between East and West and greatly increases our understanding of an often-misunderstood act. It will be the definitive history of suicide for many years to come.
First published in Italian as Congedarsi dal mondo : il suicidio in Occidente e in Oriente, Societa Editrice Il Mulino SPA, 2009--Title page verso.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 322-398) and index.
Part I. In the West -- The worst sin and the gravest crime -- The key to our prison -- Killing God, oneself and others -- When poverty does not protect -- Part II. In the East -- Before becoming a widow -- Making the strong and powerful tremble -- The body as a bomb -- Conclusions -- Appendix.
In this comparative study, sociologist Marzio Barbagli examines suicide as a socio-cultural, religious, and political phenomenon, exploring the reasons that underlie it and the meanings it has acquired in different cultures throughout the world. Drawing on a body of research carried out by historians, anthropologists, sociologist, political scientists, and psychologists, Barbagli argues that a satisfactory theory of suicide cannot limit itself to the two causes highlighted by French sociologist Émile Durkheim--namely, social integration and regulation--but must rather provide a new account that links the motives for and significance attributed to individual actions with the people for and against whom individuals take their lives.--From publisher description.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Figures, Graphs and Tables (p. xi)
- Introduction (p. 1)
- Part I In the West
- 1 The Worst Sin and the Gravest Crime (p. 19)
- 2 The Key to our Prison (p. 71)
- 3 Killing God, Oneself and Others (p. 107)
- 4 When Poverty Does not Protect (p. 129)
- Part II In the East
- 5 Before Becoming a Widow (p. 191)
- 6 Making the Strong and Powerful Tremble (p. 220)
- 7 The Body as a Bomb (p. 264)
- Conclusions (p. 295)
- Appendix (p. 313)
- Notes (p. 322)
- References (p. 360)
- Index (p. 399)