I want to draw your attention to a new book that is out in Open Access.
DEATH AND GOVERNMENTALITY: NEO-LIBERALISM, GRIEF AND THE NATION-FORM
by Arnar Árnason, Aberdeen University, and Sigurjón Baldur Hafsteinsson,
University of Iceland. Published by University of Iceland Press, 2018.
Download here:
https://opinvisindi.is/handle/20.500.11815/683?locale-attribute=en
About the book:
This book is a contribution to debates concerning the state of death in
the contemporary Western world. Taking up the argument that death
there has recently undergone a revival, the book problematizes the idea
that this revival is caused by general trends in society for example
rising individualism. The book describes a link between the revival of
death in Iceland and neo-liberal governmentality, in particular the
machinery by means of which modern citizens are enjoined to govern
themselves.
The book draws on extensive ethnographic fieldwork on the changing
regimes of dying and grieving in Iceland since the year 2000. The
ethnography reflects how the old Icelandic solution of ‘locking death
away in a drawer’ is being replaced by an allegedly healthier option of
‘dealing openly’ with death and grief. The changes in the management of
death and grief in Iceland have taken place in the context of a
neo-liberal governmentality. The rise of neo-liberalism has been
accompanied by a rhetoric that emphasises self-reliance, personal
responsibility and individual initiative, private enterprise and personal
improvement The authors suggest that the changing regimes of death and
grief should be placed in this context. The book reflects on linkages
between death and grief, the fluctuating fortunes of the ‘nation form’ in
Iceland and the different ways in which political power can be legitimised
through the changing relations between ‘nation’, ‘state’ and ‘individual’.
Anne Allison at Duke University has this to say about the work:
“I found Death and Governmentality to be compelling from beginning to end.
Well-written, clearly argued, and historically situated, the book takes on
the subject of grief and death in the context of recent socio-economic
shifts in Iceland. The book is a wonderful achievement, taking on a
subject that is at once timely and important, and giving it a treatment
that is theoretically and ethnographically sound.”
Please circulate the news to those who might be interested in the subject!
Sigurjón Baldur Hafsteinsson, PhD
Prófessor / Professor
Háskóli Íslands / University of Iceland
Sæmundargata 2 / Saemundargata 2
101 Reykjavík / 101 Reykjavik
Ísland / Iceland
Tel: +354-525-5496 [office]
Mobile: +354-844-9498
http://uni.hi.is/sbh/
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