ERIC Number: EJ1323113
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0306-9885
EISSN: N/A
Braiding Western and Eastern Cultural Rituals in Bereavement: An Autoethnography of Healing the Pain of Prolonged Grief
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, v49 n6 p791-803 2021
Despite the decline of rituals in North America, contemporary grief literature emphasises the healing potential of these practices. After my father's death, and due to my cultural hybridity as an Indo-Canadian, once the short-term western ways of mourning concluded, long-term Indian rituals offered meaningful and sustaining ways to honour my grief. By engaging in year-long mourning traditions of prayer, fasting, sacred ceremonies, and charitable contributions, I learned how braiding western and eastern cultural rituals into my bereavement enhanced my ability to heal. This article narrates the positive impact that rituals had on lifting my prolonged grief: releasing my suffering through tangible actions. Using an autoethnographic approach, I combine storytelling, cultural traditions, and grief research to explore my interdisciplinary approach to healing.
Descriptors: Western Civilization, Asian Culture, Ethnography, Interdisciplinary Approach, Story Telling, Cultural Traits, Ceremonies, Parent Child Relationship, Cultural Background, Indians, North Americans, Religious Factors, Personal Narratives, Fathers, Foreign Countries, Psychological Patterns, Diaries, Recall (Psychology), Emotional Adjustment, Christianity, Community, Cultural Differences, Death, Grief
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A