ABSTRACT

In a comparison of cancer experiences in Scotland and Kenya (Murray, Grant, Grant & Kendall, 2003), a key finding was that cancer narratives in Scotland focused on anger, distress and the fear of dying; whereas in Kenya narratives focus on physical pain and suffering in the absence of comfort and support that minimizes fears of dying or other forms of existential distress. The authors argue that although Scotland (unlike Kenya) provides no-cost access to specialist cancer and palliative care services, the inability to voice distress and fears around death and dying remains an important area of unmet need for most Scottish cancer patients. The authors then pose the question: “has the professionalization of palliative care and the medicalization of death [in the UK] taken away skills and power from families and communities so that they are no longer able to accommodate the distress of dying?” (Murray, Grant, Grant & Kendall, 2003, p. 4). This question is linked to the sociology and anthropology of death and dying more broadly and exploring this provides a key to understanding and situating the narratives of cancer patients in Scotland.2