Abstract

Behind a veneer of “disinterested” concern, death rituals reflect and reproduce patterns of social and cultural stratification. This paper examines 296,483 death announcements published in a Turkish daily newspaper in a 60-year timespan. The content analysis of the texts shows that, first, the discourses around death reveal the complex overlaps between cultural boundaries and social stratification. Second, the patterns of social and cultural stratification in death announcements interweave with broad historical trends, making it possible to “read” societies through the lens of death. These historical trends map onto foundational issues, such as the gender gap, neoliberal transformations, modernization, and religiosity.

摘要

在“无私”关怀的表象背后，死亡仪式反映并再现了社会和文化分层的模式。本文调查了土耳其日报在 60 年时间跨度内发布的 296,483 条死亡公告。对文本的内容分析表明，首先，围绕死亡的话语揭示了文化边界与社会分层之间的复杂重叠。其次，死亡公告中的社会和文化分层模式与广泛的历史趋势交织在一起，使得通过死亡的镜头“阅读”社会成为可能。这些历史趋势映射到基本问题上，例如性别差距、新自由主义转型、现代化和宗教信仰。