The Social and Cultural Dimensions Associated with Death in Muslim Communities, a Case Study Khartoum City

Abstract

In Arab universities, sociologists rarely discuss the sociology of death. By studying social and cultural variables along with subjective and objective meanings of death, this paper contributes to filling this gap in research on death in a Sudanese urban area. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between the burial of the dead and the time and place of their burial, social status, relatives, and religious affiliation as they relate to their burial. A major objective of the research is to explore the social and cultural dimensions of death in Sudanese communities. Data were collected using interviews and observations in the field using the descriptive method. Death is more of a social than a biological fact; therefore, the general findings of this research are about declaration of death, and what it implies about social cohesion. Burial and social acts following death are acts that express social meanings, and further, indicate how biological death has occurred. Based on variables such as social status, family relationship, and religious affiliation, it can be seen that the deceased person and/or family holds these beliefs.

Death and Grief in Indonesian Culture During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Once deceased, an individual cannot be separated from their relationships with others who have known and loved them or are familiar with the details and nuances of their lives. Individual death cannot be regarded solely as a separate occurrence and must also be understood in the context of the social consequences of death (Ahmed et al, 2022). The event of death is not only considered as the end of one's life in the world, nor does it only signify the separation of a person from their loved ones.…”