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Representing dying, representing class? Social distinction, aestheticisation and the performing self

Abstract Seeking to examine the ‘middle-class normalisation of death’, this paper begins to explore the particular place of certain representations of dying within this process. It is divided into four parts. First, it introduces the Bourdieuvian orientation of the analysis. Second, the relevance of the related notions of an aestheticisation of class relations and the modern emphasis upon the performing self are critically outlined. Third, these ideas are critically applied to two classic sociological studies of dying: Sudnow’s Passing On, and Young and Cullen’s, A Good Death. Fourth, the analysis is theorised and summarised with further reference to the theoretical insights of Bourdieu.