A global history of child death : mortality, burial, and parental attitudes / Amy J. Catalano.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Catalano, Amy J., 1976- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children--Mortality--History.

Children.

Children--Death--History.

Burial--History.

Burial.

Mourning customs--History.

Mourning customs.

Children--Death.

Children--Mortality.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 175 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Peter Lang, [2015]

Summary:

Drawing from primary research studies in archaeology, historical analysis, literature, and art this interdisciplinary look at the history of child funerary practices and other vehicles of parental mourning is the only book of its kind. The purpose of this work is to investigate the ways in which funerary behaviors and grieving differ between cultures and across time; from prehistory to modern history. Philippe Aries, the French childhood historian, argued that children were rarely mourned upon their deaths as child death was a frequent and expected event, especially in the Middle Ages. This book draws upon archaeological reports, secondary data analysis, and analysis of literature, photography and artwork to refute, and in some cases support, Aries's claim. Organized in two parts, Part One begins with a chapter on the causes of childhood mortality and the steps taken to prevent it, followed by chapters on prehistory, ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the early modern and late modern eras. The chapters in Part Two discuss indicators of parental concern at a child's death: naming practices, replacement strategy, baptism, consolation literature, and artwork. Students who focus on the psychological aspects of death, funeral practices, and childhood histories will find this book a useful and comprehensive tool for examining how children have been mourned since prehistory. Book jacket.

Contents:

A brief history of child mortality

Burial pits and ivory beads: prehistoric children

Biblical children

Burials at night: children in ancient civilizations

Collateral of the plague: children of the Middle Ages

Ambivalence

The modern era

Indigenous peoples

Naming and replacement

Consolation literature: poetry, letters, and songs

Visual representations of grief: photographs, monuments, and art.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1433127423

9781433127427

OCLC:

878050957

Publisher Number:

99962362575