Mourning Rituals in Archaic & Classical Greece and Pre-Qin China [Hardcover]

This pivot compares mourning rituals in Archaic & Classical Greece and Pre-Qin China to illustrate some of the principles and methods used in comparative studies.  It focuses on three main aspects of mourning of the dead before burial  lamentation, mourners gestures and behaviors, and mourning apparel  to demonstrate the cultural function, purpose, and social influence of mourning. A key comparative study of rituals at the heart of both Western and Chinese culture, this text highlights the cultural function and social influence of rituals of two ancient peoples and will be of interest to all scholars of comparative religion, sociology and anthropology.

Introduction.- Attitudes towards death in Ancient Greece and Ancient China.- Lamentation.- Mourners Gestures and Behaviours.- Mourning Apparel.- Conclusions.Xiaoqun Wu is Professor of History at Fudan University, China. She teaches on Ancient World History and Western Classical Historiography, and was previously Associate Professor at East China Normal University.

This pivot compares mourning rituals in Archaic & Classical Greece and Pre-Qin China to illustrate some of the principles and methods used in comparative studies.  It focuses on three main aspects of mourning of the dead before burial  lamentation, mourners gestures and behaviors, and mourning apparelto demonstrate the cultural function, purpose, and social influence of mourning. A key comparative study of rituals at the heart of both Western and Chinese culture, this text highlights the cultural function and social influence of rituals of two ancient peoples and will be of interest to all scholars of comparative religion, sociology and anthropology.

Examines the social control function of the ritualized action of mourning in both ElÓÃ