Our perceptions of dying and death are changing. An indication of this is the ongoing debate on euthanasia. One of the negative side effects of this debate is the neglect of different ways of dealing with death as represented by the institutions of hospices. The present volume contains the first empirical study on dying and death in hospices in Germany. The hospice offers alternative perspectives to either the treatment of death in conventional hospitals or the narrow discussions in the context of euthanasia.
Because Christine Pfeffer also worked for years as a professional nurse in various hospitals before starting her research in the Siegen hospice, she is able to base her sociological observations and comparisons on her comprehensive experiences in both kinds of institutions. Her provocative conclusions will have a lasting influence on the discussion on death and dying in hospitals.
Christine Pfeffer was a research assistant in the department of sociology, University of Siegen. At that time, she continued to work part-time as a hospital nurse.
Ohne Zweifel hat Frau Pfeffer ein wichtiges Buch geschrieben. Die Studie, die an der Universität Siegen mit einem Preis ausgezeichnet wurde und mit der als erstem Band eine neue Reihe „Siegener Beiträge zur Soziologie” begründet wurde, hinterläßt den Leser/dieLeserin – neben ihrem hervorragenden wissenschaftlichen Wert – mit einem tiefen Gefühl.
Sabine Maschke in ZSE Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation, 2/1999, 213-214
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