The Cue for Passion : Grief and Its Political Uses / Gail Holst-Warhaft.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Holst-Warhaft, Gail, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Grief--Political aspects.

Mourning customs--Political aspects.

PSYCHOLOGY / Emotions.

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General.

Local Subjects:

Grief--Political aspects.

Mourning customs--Political aspects.

PSYCHOLOGY / Emotions.

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

Reprint 2014

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Having set aside age-old ways of mourning, how do people in the modern world cope with tragic loss? Using traditional mourning rituals as an instructive touchstone, Gail Holst-Warhaft explores the ways sorrow is managed in our own times and how mourning can be manipulated for social and political ends. Since ancient times political and religious authorities have been alert to the dangerously powerful effects of communal expressions of grief--while valuing mourning rites as a controlled outlet for emotion. But today grief is often seen as a psychological problem: the bereaved are encouraged to seek counseling or take antidepressants. At the same time, we have witnessed some striking examples of manipulation of shared grief for political effect. One instance is the unprecedented concentration on recovery of the remains of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. In Buenos Aires the Mothers of the Disappeared forged the passion of their grief into a political weapon. Similarly the gay community in the United States, transformed by grief and rage, not only lobbied effectively for AIDS victims but channeled their emotions into fresh artistic expression. It might be argued that, in contrast to earlier cultures, modern society has largely abdicated its role in managing sorrow. But in The Cue for Passion we see that some communities, moved by the intensity of their grief, have utilized it to gain ground for their own agendas.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Acknowledgments

Contents

Introduction: The Theater of Mourning

1. Tears

2. Laughter

3. Bones

4. Disappearance

5. Plague

6. Memorials

Afierthoughts

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-674-49858-5

OCLC:

1013956013