Aesthetics as metaphysical meaning-making in the face of death

Butters, Maija

doi:10.30664/ar.67595

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This type of ADC was found among people who identified themselves as spiritual, as Aino did, but also among those whose identity was strongly nonspiritual, such as Kari. This is somewhat unsurprising as previous research on the importance of nature in Finnish spirituality has revealed that even people who are not very spiritual search for meaning in nature (Butters, 2016). ADCs are understood to be comforting, not hallucinations or traumatic reactions to bereavement (Klass, 2006;Klass et al 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The loss of his spouse seems to have awakened an interest in him to continue his bond to the deceased. In Finnish mythology, a bird represents the soul of a deceased person (Butters, 2016), and it is interesting that Kari, a strong atheist and a believer in science, had this impactful supernatural experience.…”

Section: After-death Communication As a Search For Meaning In Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

2021

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Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following question: How do widows and widowers search for meaning through continuing and/or transforming their bond to their deceased spouse? The results demonstrate that some of the widowed persons sought meaning through rituals or various means of after-death communication with their deceased spouses. Other participants transformed the bond, for example, through clearing out their deceased spouse’s belongings or a process of reconciliation. Many continued and transformed the bond simultaneously, which shows that negotiation of the relationship after the death of a spouse is an ongoing process in which both continuity and change are present. The experience of a violation of meaning in life affected the participants’ capacity to continue their bond with their deceased spouse.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: After-death Communication As a Search For Meaning In Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

2021

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“…This kind of approach to aesthetics and aesthetic experience goes all the way back to the phenomenology of Maurice MerleauPonty and pragmatism of John Dewey. 15 For more about the meaning of aesthetics in relation to death preparation rituals, see Butters 2016Butters , 2021 the position of the tradition, since most of the interlocutors leaned on their own cultural background when interpreting their nature experiences. 16 A few of my interlocutors perceived, for instance, a particular relationship between birds and death -a theme that is common in pre Christian Finnish folklore (Holmberg 1915: 14;Pentikäinen 1990: 63;Honko et al 1993: 610).…”

Section: Beyond Death: Funeral Planning As a Creation Of The Hereafte...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Death and beyond

Butters¹

2023

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Based on extensive ethnography, this article investigates how contemporary Finnish hospice patients talk – or remain silent – about their own approaching death, and the imageries relating to death and the possible afterlife. I explore how the thought of an afterlife may have informed patients’ orientations at the end of life, and how it touched on actual funeral arrangements. Since death was a very difficult topic to speak about, the dying created other kinds of material or entirely fantastic imageries which helped them to explore and express their feelings about death and the beyond. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of ‘metaphysical imagination’ (Hepburn 1996) and ‘virtuality’ (Deleuze and Guattari 2016; Kapferer 2004, 2006, 2010), this article shows how the virtual space of the metaphysical imageries by the research participants at times became a vital element empowering the dying, not only to encounter their situation but also to achieve resolution of some sort.

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Hyvinvointi koettuna, kuvattuna ja tulkittuna

2023

JYU Studies

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Mitä tutkimme, kun tutkimme hyvinvointia? Tämä on kysymys, johon monitieteistä yhteistyötä tekevät tutkijat joutuvat miettimään vastausta. Vaikka kaikki tutkisivat hyvinvointia ei yksiselitteistä määritelmää yhteiselle kiinnostuksen kohteelle löydy. Eri tieteenalojen näkökulmista hyvinvointi merkityksellistyy eri tavoin, eikä sen kaikkia ulottuvuuksia tavoiteta yhden tieteenalan tai menetelmän avulla. Tämän kirjan lähtökohtana on ollut monitieteisessä tutkijayhteisössä vuosien kuluessa käyty keskustelu ja pyrkimys ymmärtää hyvinvointia sekä ilmiönä että tutkimuskohteena. Jyväskylän yliopistolla vuodesta 2016 lähtien toiminut hyvinvoinnin ja terveyden tutkijoiden verkosto HYTTI on pohtinut terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin suhteita seminaareissa ja kuukausittaisissa tapaamisissaan. Näissä eri ihmistieteellisiä aloja edustavien tutkijoiden yhteisissä keskusteluissa olemme huomanneet, kuinka tärkeää on hyvinvoinnin tarkastelu juuri muuttuvana ja moniulotteisena. Tämän keskustelun avaaminen laajemmalle lukijakunnalle ja ajankohtaisten, eri aloja edustavien tutkimusten esittely on toiminut perusteena tälle artikkelikokoelmalle. Teos on tarkoitettu laajasti tutkijoille sekä muille ihmistieteisestä hyvinvointitutkimuksesta kiinnostuneille. Teos soveltuu myös oppikirjaksi.

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Aesthetics as metaphysical meaning-making in the face of death

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

Death and beyond

Hyvinvointi koettuna, kuvattuna ja tulkittuna

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