The denial of grief

Abstract

This chapter advances an anthropology of grief by drawing on theoretical and empirical research on parental bereavement after the death of a child. I build a theoretical argument that moves deliberately away from the overproduced ‘denial of death’ thesis, instead focusing attention on those left behind after a death, the grievers. I argue that the ‘denial of grief’ is an urgent social phenomenon with much at stake for the bereaved themselves. I ask: What is ‘grief denial’ and how does it affect the bereaved? To answer this question, I reflect on social discourses on grief, and what they suggest about how we define and respond to grief. Following, I address how the biomedicalization of grief contributes to frameworks that reinforce grief taboo and stigmatization, which in turn contribute to the social isolation of grievers. I suggest current biomedical bereavement models deny the ontological possibility of the alternative ways of living grief which are present in the stories of bereaved people. I conclude with suggestions of future directions for researching the social denial of grief.