Children's Understanding of Death
From Biological to Religious Conceptions

This book comprehensively examines children's ideas about death, both biological and religious.

Victoria Talwar (Edited by), Paul L. Harris (Edited by), Michael Schleifer (Edited by)

9781107531598, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 July 2015

202 pages, 8 b/w illus. 1 table
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.3 kg

“This is an incredibly important book. Hopefully, this diverse, interesting, and highly readable collection of essays will stimulate much-needed conversations among academics, educators, and parents that will serve to break down long-standing cultural taboos regarding death. The essays within this collection represent a breadth of knowledge and expertise from developmental psychology, pediatrics, philosophy, anthropology, and legal studies. This breadth and scope of expertise focused on children in diverse cultures and how they come to embrace and reason about death are remarkable.”
–Karl S. Rosengren, Northwestern University

In order to understand how adults deal with children's questions about death, we must examine how children understand death, as well as the broader society's conceptions of death, the tensions between biological and supernatural views of death and theories on how children should be taught about death. This collection of essays comprehensively examines children's ideas about death, both biological and religious. Written by specialists from developmental psychology, pediatrics, philosophy, anthropology and legal studies, it offers a truly interdisciplinary approach to the topic. The volume examines different conceptions of death and their impact on children's cognitive and emotional development and will be useful for courses in developmental psychology, clinical psychology and certain education courses, as well as philosophy classes - especially in ethics and epistemology. This collection will be of particular interest to researchers and practitioners in psychology, medical workers and educators - both parents and teachers.

1. Death, ancestors and the living dead: learning without teaching in Madagascar Rita Astuti
2. Death in Spain, Madagascar, and beyond Paul L. Harris
3. Ambivalent teaching and painful learning: mastering the facts of life Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
4. Death in the lives of children Margaret M. Mahon
5. Talking to children about death in educational settings Victoria Talwar
6. Responsible believing Miriam McCormick
7. Thoughts and feelings: children and William James have it right! Michael Schleiferi
8. How the law constructs its understanding of death Ray Madoff.

Subject Areas: Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Child & developmental psychology [JMC], Sociology: death & dying [JHBZ], Cultural studies [JFC], Philosophy [HP]