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Constructing the dead: Retrospective sensemaking in eulogies.
Christine S Davis1, Margaret M Quinlan1, Debra K Baker1
1a Department of Communication Studies , University of North Carolina at Charlotte , Charlotte , North Carolina , USA.
Eulogies help people make sense of loss and construct identity by affirming relational bonds. This study explores how eulogistic communication shapes self-identity and grief experiences, particularly for ordinary individuals.
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Area of Science:
- Communication Studies
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- Eulogies are ritualized communicative acts with a sensemaking function.
- Identity construction is a key aspect of processing grief and loss.
- Existing scholarship on eulogies often overlooks ordinary people and gendered dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the communicative construction of identity in eulogies.
- To investigate how eulogistic discourse affirms and reconstructs relational identity.
- To explore the gendered nature of eulogies and their role in grief articulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of eulogistic discourse.
- Application of relational communication theories.
- Focus on eulogies of ordinary people to understand diverse identity construction.
Main Results:
- Eulogies actively construct and affirm both the deceased's and survivors' identities.
- Relational identity is significantly reconstructed through the communication within eulogies.
- Gender plays a role in how identity and grief are articulated in eulogistic discourse.
Conclusions:
- Eulogies are vital communicative rituals for identity construction and sensemaking during bereavement.
- Understanding eulogies through relational communication theories provides deeper insights into grief.
- The study highlights the importance of considering gender and the experiences of ordinary individuals in the analysis of eulogies.

