Family geographies of death, dying and bereavement

Title: Family geographies of death, dying and bereavement

Sponsored by: Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group and Geographies of Health Research Group

Session convenors: Michelle Pyer and John Horton (both University of Northampton, UK)

Abstract:
These sessions will focus upon the practices and experiences of children, young people and families in relation to space-times of death, dying and bereavement. We seek to connect researchers and practitioners working in a number of related contexts such as:

.       geographical, sociological or anthropological studies of children, young people and families experiencing death, dying and bereavement;
.       social-material geographies and sociologies of grief and memorialisation;
.       health/practice-oriented research on spaces of terminal illness and end-of-life care;
.       quantitative/cartographic studies of mortality.

We welcome proposals for empirical and conceptual papers (15 minutes duration, plus discussion) in two thematic areas.

.       For the first session, we call for papers about families encountering or experiencing death or dying in diverse contexts.  We anticipate that this might include reflection upon a wide range of spaces, relationships, 'family' formations, and forms/causes of death.

.       For the second session, we call for papers which have a specific focus upon children, young people and families in space-times of bereavement. This might include consideration of diverse familial geographies of absence, loss, grief, trauma, commemoration, remembrance, resilience or coping.

We particularly welcome proposals, from diverse geographical-historical contexts, which cut across the following themes:

.       children and young people's experiences of death, dying and bereavement;
.       experiences or geographies of child or youth mortality;
.       mortality and siblings, carers, friendships or parenthood
.       intergenerational and familial spaces of death, dying and bereavement;
.       death, dying and bereavement in relation to age, ageing, lifecourses and identities;
.       family geographies of chronic or terminal ill-health;
.       formal or informal forms of care in relation to death, dying and bereavement;
.       services and provision for families experiencing death, dying and bereavement;
.       spaces and materialities of family bereavement, memorialisation, and living-on.


Please submit abstracts of up to 250 words to Michelle Pyer (michelle.pyer@northampton.ac.uk) and John Horton (john.horton@northampton.ac.uk) by Friday, 13th February 2015.

Further information about the conference is available at: http://www.rgs.org/WhatsOn/ConferencesAndSeminars/Annual+International+Conference/Annual+international+conference.htm




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Dr. John Horton

Centre for Children and Youth,
Park Campus,
The University of Northampton,
Boughton Green Road,
Northampton, NN2 7AL.
(Phone: 01604 892990)