Introduction

The modern history of death offers a fascinating and complex mixture of certainties and debates, their combination vital toward promoting better understanding of the modern condition. Accompanying what might be called a death revolution, the most common causes of death shifted significantly: from primary concerns about communicable diseases (and digestive diseases in infancy), to degenerative diseases (heart attacks, cancer) plus a growing role for accidents. Evaluating the shifts in the meaning of modern death (in the Western experience but ultimately beyond) and addressing comparative distinctions and complex combinations of change and continuity must be combined with attention to the physical shifts. Ultimately, the various patterns interact in shaping how the death of self and the death of others are perceived and handled. Emphasis on cultural differences and regional continuities directly affects the overall evaluation of death in modern societies. This chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.