The discursive construction of the good death and the dying person

Abstract

The concept of a good death is central to contemporary discourses on death and dying; it is also frequently used in contexts of end-of-life decision-making. We argue that in and through the medical-revivalist discourse, which challenges the idea that curative treatment is necessary beneficial and constructs death as something familiar, a good death is discursively organised around two nodal clusters: control, autonomy and dignity, and awareness and heroism. Moreover, we also argue that -within this framework of the medical-revivalist discourse -political contestation exists over the articulation of these nodal points. Especially two social movements, the right to die movement and the palliative care movement, have been at the forefront of the political struggle over the good death. In this article, we use a discourse-theoretical approach to develop an analytical model of the construction of the good death and the present-day political struggles over these constructions. This model then allows us to identify and analyse the constructions of the good death in the North Belgian newspaper coverage on three 2008 euthanasia cases. Using discourse-theoretical analysis (DTA) (Carpentier & De Cleen, 2007), our analysis shows that the articulations of the right to die variation are privileged in the newspaper coverage. There is a celebration of the extraordinariness and heroism of the dying subject who autonomously chooses on how and when to die and who preferably dies in a state of full awareness so that he can die with dignity. This privileging is often accompanied by the symbolic annihilation of many other ways of dying. Consequentially, the richness of ways of dying that characterize contemporary social realities becomes curtailed in the analysed newspaper representations.

Metaphors for ‘good’ and ‘bad’ deaths

“…Acceptance and openness are also presented as absolutely essential to a good death by our interviewees. Similar patterns have been noted and critiqued by Van Brussel and Carpentier (2012) and Zimmermann (2012). Zimmerman for example questions the motivation behind the requirement of acceptance and suggests that arriving at that attitude not only facilitates the dying process "but also renders care easier" (2012, p. 217).…”

‘Good’ and ‘bad’ deaths: Narratives and professional identities in interviews with hospice managers

“…As Van Brussel and Carpentier (2012) suggest, the notion of a 'good' death is contested and contingent, and largely constructed through discourse. The data we have discussed in this article show a particular construction that is the result of a strong professional identity, and are justified and enhanced in the face of criticism from the families of terminally ill patients, as well as increased media scrutiny.…”

“…In Labov's data, the focus was primarily on the risks and exhilaration involved in narrowly avoiding death. This involves a different kind of heroic dimension to (nearly) dying than the one that applies to the right-to-die discourse discussed by van Brussel and Carpentier (2012). More recently, Labov (2013) has restated that death is one of 'three universal centers of interest', alongside sex and moral indignation (Labov, 2013: 4).…”

#Participating #Contesting: Studying Counterpublics’ Discourses on Twitter About the Social Acceptability of Medical Assistance in Dying Legislation in Canada

“…Due to the numerous ethical issues surrounding this bill, it elicited strong reactions. From the outset, its social acceptability was fiercely discussed, echoing the debates of other jurisdictions that have previously addressed the issue (see, in particular, Cohen et al 2006;Skitka et al 2009;Van Brussel and Carpentier 2012). While some saw it as a possibility to 6.…”

“…2006; Skitka et al. 2009; Van Brussel and Carpentier 2012). While some saw it as a possibility to “die in dignity,” others considered it to be no different than murdering.…”