Living and dying

Considering processes of living and dying and how significant moments at the start and end of life relate to the everyday

Morgan Centre members have an interest in exploring both processes of living and dying, as well as events associated with the start and end of life.

Life and death are often conceptualised as extraordinary moments that bring about intense and extreme emotional reactions. Experiences relating to conception, pregnancy and birth, as well as death, dying and bereavement, can undoubtedly be profound, challenging the very essence of who we are and how we relate to and live in the world. Yet these moments are also very much lived and experienced in the routines and relationships of everyday life, both in the present moment and over time.

Researchers in the Morgan Centre explore this ‘everydayness’ of life and death, living and dying, whilst considering how these moments are shaped and influenced by wider structures and societal norms. Questions asked include, for example, how do assumptions of ageing shape the way we understand and approach care at the end of life? How do ideas around kinship shape thinking around what it means to be donor conceived?

Some members of the Morgan Centre engage with this theme as part of their wider set of interests, with many of us exploring these issues in life as they emerge over the life course. For example, Debbie Price, Vanessa May and Camilla Lewis have contributed scholarly work on issues to do with ageing and pensions. We have also focused scholarly work on issues to do with ageing and pensions. We have also focused Laura Towers and Kate Reed, and on the relations between the two (Sophie Woodward).