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Death's Midwife.

Journal of Lesbian Studies

|May 13, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Lesbian families used healing rituals to support each other during a cancer diagnosis and death. These rituals centered the lesbian family and community, but fragmented after the individual's passing.

Keywords:

Jewish Ritual death/grief lesbian pagan

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Area of Science:

Sociology of health and illness
Ritual studies
Queer studies

Background:

Cancer diagnosis and end-of-life care present unique challenges for families.
Lesbian families may face specific social and familial dynamics during health crises.
Ritualistic practices can play a significant role in coping with grief and loss.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the role of ritual in providing care and support within a lesbian family during a cancer diagnosis and death.
To explore how lesbian-created rituals centered a lesbian family and community.
To analyze the fragmentation of ritualistic support following bereavement.

Main Methods:

Qualitative analysis of a personal memoir, "Death's Midwife."
Examination of specific healing rituals and deathbed rituals.
Exploration of the use of ritual in grief and memorial services.

Main Results:

Ritual provided a framework for mutual care between Nance, her lesbian family, and her birth family.
Tuesday night healing rituals and deathbed rituals offered support during Nance's illness and dying process.
The ritual circle fragmented after Nance's death, impacting the family and community structure.

Conclusions:

Lesbian-created ritual temporarily centered and sustained a lesbian family and its community.
The fragmentation of ritual post-bereavement highlights the dynamic nature of community support.
Ritual serves as a vital, albeit sometimes transient, mechanism for care and connection in times of crisis.