Citation

Graitl L. Historical social research 2009; 34(4): 286-297.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

" "The dead do not lie ". On the meaning of death in politically motivated suicide in 20th and 21st centuries". "Altruistic Suicide" was the name Durkheim (1897) applied to self-killings that result from a "too streng" integration into society, and which are thus not ostracized as self-murder but rather acknowledged as heroic sacrifice. For Durkheim, this form was destined for extinction as a relic of archaic collective consciousness. In the course of the 20th Century, however, this type of suicide by no means disappeared; on the contrary, new forms like the suicide attack, the hunger strike and the protest suicide evolved. This article deals with what gave rise to these phenomena and how they can best be analyzed. Focusing on textual representations, it will elaborate upon how dying is transformed into a communicative act and how one's own death can thus be used as a political weapon.

Language: de

Keywords

Martyrdom; Suicide notes; Suicide bombing; Self-immolation; Altruistic Suicide; Death and dying; Hunger strike