Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta
This Field Notes contribution describes the difficulty of confronting the topic of dying in conversations with terminally ill persons in the Pearl River Delta region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and how the ethnographer responded to this difficulty in a way she did not expect. While ther...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Edinburgh Library
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
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| Online Access: | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/5536 |
| _version_ | 1797735993667747840 |
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| author | Mira Menzfeld |
| author_facet | Mira Menzfeld |
| author_sort | Mira Menzfeld |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This Field Notes contribution describes the difficulty of confronting the topic of dying in conversations with terminally ill persons in the Pearl River Delta region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and how the ethnographer responded to this difficulty in a way she did not expect. While there is probably no ideal conversation starter for this subject anywhere in the world, bringing up the topic of approaching death is particularly challenging in China. First, it is considered impolite and harmful to communicate to a person directly that she is dying. Second, a terminal diagnosis is not necessarily received as though fatality is an inevitable consequence. After more than a few instances of feeling awkward and unequipped to talk to terminally ill persons during fieldwork, the author came to a realisation: encouraging those who are dying to communicate their experience of dying is not about finding a suitable opening line; rather, it is about silent presence, which may be the best invitation to speak. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:07:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30a09e20c7484416afd09ff1a530cbab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-691X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:07:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | University of Edinburgh Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| spelling | doaj.art-30a09e20c7484416afd09ff1a530cbab2023-08-28T14:02:23ZengUniversity of Edinburgh LibraryMedicine Anthropology Theory2405-691X2022-02-019211010.17157/mat.9.2.55365536Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River DeltaMira Menzfeld0University of ZurichThis Field Notes contribution describes the difficulty of confronting the topic of dying in conversations with terminally ill persons in the Pearl River Delta region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and how the ethnographer responded to this difficulty in a way she did not expect. While there is probably no ideal conversation starter for this subject anywhere in the world, bringing up the topic of approaching death is particularly challenging in China. First, it is considered impolite and harmful to communicate to a person directly that she is dying. Second, a terminal diagnosis is not necessarily received as though fatality is an inevitable consequence. After more than a few instances of feeling awkward and unequipped to talk to terminally ill persons during fieldwork, the author came to a realisation: encouraging those who are dying to communicate their experience of dying is not about finding a suitable opening line; rather, it is about silent presence, which may be the best invitation to speak.http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/5536dyingdeathchinaunobstructivenessindirect communication |
| spellingShingle | Mira Menzfeld Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta Medicine Anthropology Theory dying death china unobstructiveness indirect communication |
| title | Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta |
| title_full | Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta |
| title_fullStr | Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta |
| title_full_unstemmed | Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta |
| title_short | Silent Questions: (Not) Talking about Dying in the Pearl River Delta |
| title_sort | silent questions not talking about dying in the pearl river delta |
| topic | dying death china unobstructiveness indirect communication |
| url | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/5536 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miramenzfeld silentquestionsnottalkingaboutdyinginthepearlriverdelta |