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Educare

Educare

OCTUBRE 2003 N° 1 Volumen 1

Reflections on death through children's experiences

Section: TEACHING TO LEARN

Authors

Purificación González Villanueva

Position

Enfermera. Licenciada en Antropología social y cultural. Profesora de Enfermería en la Universidad Europea de Madrid.

Contact address

Universidad Europea de Madrid. Campus Universitario. Depart. de Enfermería. Urbanización el Bosque, C/ Tajo s/n. Villaviciosa de Odón. 28670 Madrid.

Contact email: purificacion.gonzalez@efm.cisa.uem.es

Abstract

This story is a very personal piece of writing. Anthropology has given me some answers to the multiple questions I have continuously asked myself over the years I have been working as a practising nurse. This assertiveness has focused on one of the most critical aspects of life: death, leading me to give some serious thought to how I perceive death and how I attempt to understand people whose health is seriously compromised. The narration focuses on my childhood experiences, emphasising some of the most relevant memories that relate to the habitual practices and traditions of Galicia (Marín) of about 30 or 40 years ago. It is a voyage through our memoirs, starting with the ringing of the bells announcing someone’s death until the time of their burial, highlighting aspects of great relevance for me such as the social solidarity that always embraces us in these situations. The "Holy Bell" is mentioned sublimely as a consequence of the daily experience of death in an isolated social environment.

 

Keywords:

death; childhood experiencesnursing care

Versión en Español

Título:

Reflexiones sobre la muerte a través de las vivencias infantiles