Citation

Pipyrou S. Soc. Anthropol. 2014; 22(2): 189-199.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, European Association of Social Anthropologists, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1469-8676.12069

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines cases of suicide in rural Greece where the deceased have been provided with new affective narratives that detract from the circumstances of death. Living relatives redirect public attention away from the social taboo of suicide by reconfiguring affective stories that appeal to the local tool-kit for dealing with unexpected death. Resultantly, the reputation of the family remains untainted by the connotations of immorality and insanity that suicide carries. Grabbing public attention, the affective story rouses sympathy for the victim and their family, whilst cultivating abhorrence towards a culprit, representing a final mark of respect to the dead person. © 2014 European Association of Social Anthropologists.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Greece; Affect; Narrative; Gossip