Holding on or letting go?: the resolution of grief in relation to two Xhosa rituals in South Africa

Van Heerden, Gary Paul

Title: Holding on or letting go?: the resolution of grief in relation to two Xhosa rituals in South Africa
Creator: Van Heerden, Gary Paul
ThesisAdvisor: Gilbert, A J
Subject: South Africa -- Social life and customs
Subject: Death -- Social aspects -- South Africa
Subject: Mourning customs -- South Africa
Subject: Bereavement -- Psychological aspects
Subject: Bereavement -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies
Subject: Death -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies
Subject: Xhosa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies
Subject: Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs
Subject: Animal sacrifice -- South Africa
Date: 2003
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MA
Identifier: vital:3253
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016055
Description: The dominant emphasis in Western models of bereavement is on the breaking of bonds with the deceased in order for healing to occur. Failure to let go often leads to a diagnosis of 'pathological grief'. This paper challenges the assumption that death invariably means that the bonds with the deceased have to be severed. Situating Western models of bereavement in a modernist context not only challenges the 'truth' claims of these models, but also facilitates a deconstruction of the elements that contribute to the emphasis on letting go. In contrast to these theories, two Xhosa rituals (umkhapho and umbuyiso) that seek to sustain the bond with the deceased person will be examined. Such rituals demonstrate that it is possible to both maintain the bond and for the bereaved person to move on with their lives. Despite different contexts, it will be argued that these Xhosa bereavement rituals have a contribution to make to Western models of bereavement and some implications for therapy will be explored.
Format: 34 pages, pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Psychology
Language: English
Rights: Van Heerden, Gary Paul

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