Alum Silverman (2015) Publishes on Anthropology and Grief
Gila Silverman (Ph.D. 2015) co-edited a special issue of the journal Death Studies, focusing on Anthropology and Grief. The issue’s introduction, "Culture and grief: Ethnographic perspectives on ritual, relationships and remembering", co-written by Silverman, Aurélien Baroiller (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium), and Susan R. Hemer (University of Adelaide, Australia), provides an overview of the contributions of anthropology to the multidisciplinary study of bereavement. Seven ethnographic articles explore a wide range of mourning rituals in Botswana, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Tanzania, and the United States. The essays illustrate the diversity of grief experiences, both between and within socio-cultural groups, and highlight the importance of long-term immersion in a community in making this complexity visible. Silverman’s article “Saying kaddish: meaning-making and continuing bonds in American Jewish mourning ritual” explores the diverse ways that traditional Jewish mourning practices manifest in the lived experiences of non-Orthodox American Jews and demonstrates how ritual can provide an organized framework for adjusting to changing social identities, constructing continuing bonds, and establishing the memory of the deceased within the community. (Anthro News Digest date: 03/05/2021)