This innovative volume examines the phenomenological, existential and cultural dimensions of grief experiences. It draws on perspectives from philosophy, psychology and sociocultural studies to focus on the experiential dimension of grief, moving beyond understanding from a purely mental health and psychiatry perspective. The book considers individual, shared and collective experiences of loss. Chapters explore the intersections between the profound existential experiences of bereavement and how this is mediated by sociocultural norms and practices. It points to new directions for the future conceptualization and study of grief, particularly in the experiential dimension. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, this important book will appeal to academics, researchers and students in the fields of death and bereavement studies, wellbeing and mental health, philosophy and phenomenological studies.

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the struggles faced by caregivers in navigating the depths of grief and trauma have become increasingly pronounced. The profound challenges inherent in this journey unfold starkly in the experiences of those who have shouldered the weight of caregiving responsibilities during these trying times. The emotional toll, compounded by the complexities of the pandemic, paints a picture of resilience and struggle. Amidst this narrative of hardship and endurance emerges a crucial resource that delves into the heart of this issue, providing insights and strategies for those grappling with the dual complexities of personal grief and professional counseling. This invaluable guide, titled Grief and Trauma Counseling Education: Preparing Future Counselors, encapsulates the essence of the caregiver's journey and offers a lifeline for those seeking understanding and support in the face of unprecedented challenges. Structured to cater to a diverse audience, this book is a valuable resource for graduate students in counseling programs, undergraduates in social science courses, and practicing counselors. It recognizes the scarcity of literature focusing on grief counseling from the perspective of a counselor educator undergoing personal recovery. The book provides essential tools for navigating the grief process from diagnosis to the end of life, making it an indispensable guide for those in the counseling profession. Furthermore, the targeted approach extends to policymakers responsible for healthcare system improvements, ensuring that the book's impact reverberates in spheres where systemic change is needed.

This volume explores the phenomenology of broken habits and their affective, social, and involuntary dimensions. It shows how disruptive experiences impact self-understanding and social embeddedness. The chapters in this volume investigate the epistemic and existential relevance of breakdown of habits and the corresponding kinds of self-understanding available to the agent. The first part focuses on the double-sidedness of habitual life. On the one hand, habits allow us to arrange and navigate in a familiar home world; on the other hand, habits can take hold of us in such a way that we lose our sense of autonomy. The contributors argue that habitual agency is structurally carried by a dynamic that entails both freedom and necessity. As habits enable us to inhabit and thus acquire a world, they also affectively provide a texture and a background for our feeling at home in the world. The chapters in Part 2 focus on the breakdowns of our habitual social and technological life forms and the phenomenology of their affective texture. History and habitual learning are sedimented in our body memory and in our language, and these sedimented layers are partly out of our direct control. Part 3 focuses on the structural openness of habits in relating to one’s past and one’s traumatic experiences. Part 4 reflects on the ways in which we might become aware of and thus transform or appropriate our culturally given habits. Phenomenology of Broken Habits will appeal to researchers and advanced students working in phenomenology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of psychology.

There are inequalities in global knowledge production in communication outlets, cultural practices, and governance problems. Under this symbiotic relationship, they reinforce the cultural ideas, values, and governance systems operating in the Western countries as an ideal and role model for the Global South countries. Media is regarded as the agent of change for communication and cultural values. Indigenous knowledge production and dissemination is an essential feature to get a better insight into Global South countries. Likewise, dewesternizing and demystifying societal culture and governance issues are pertinent in this age of information. The Handbook of Research on Deconstructing Culture and Communication in the Global South focuses on local production practices keeping in view the local needs of communication outlets and societal and cultural sensitivities. This Indigenous knowledge would provide deeper and richer insights into the problems and sensitivities of Global South countries. To achieve this end, this book adopts a broader approach encompassing development issues, democratic values, digitalization practices, gender equality issues, and more. Covering topics such as biocultural activism, language ideology, and religiocentrism, this major reference work is a valuable resource for graduate students, sociologists, government officials, students and educators of higher education, librarians, development organization leaders, religious scholars, policymakers, researchers, and academicians.

While death, dying and bereavement are universal life events, the social conditions under which death takes place are fundamental in shaping how it is experienced by the individual. Bringing together contributors from around the world, this collection of chapters provides sociological insights into death, dying and bereavement. Drawing upon a range of sociological theorists, including Émile Durkheim, Zygmunt Bauman and C. Wright Mills, the book reviews the historical contribution of sociology to the field of thanatology. In doing so, the book challenges individualistic psychological approaches to death, dying and bereavement and demonstrates how sociological approaches can shape, constrain and empower experiences by imbuing them with both collective and individual meaning. Chapter-length case studies explore a wide range of issues, from digital aspects of remembrance and memorialisation and continued threats to liberties that permit life and death decisions to discussions of the impact and likely legacy of COVID-19 and climate change. This collection will be of interest to students and researchers in the social sciences with an interest in societal attitudes towards death and bereavement.

This volume presents a comparative study on the pivotal role of religion in social transformation of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) over the past three decades. Organized into four thematic sections, it examines divergent patterns of religiosity and non-religious worldviews, secularization, religious presence in public life, and processes of identity formation. Comparison across the countries in the CEE reveals the absence of uniform and synchronic dynamics in the region. The geopolitical and cultural heterogeneity, the need to understand post-1989 social processes in the context of a much longer historical development of the region, and the importance of incorporating religious factors — are central to all contributions in this volume. Contributors are: Mikhail Antonov, Olga Breskaya, Zsuzsanna Demeter-Karászi, Jan Kaňák, Alar Kilp, Zsófia Kocsis, Tobias Koellner, Valéria Markos, András Máté-Tóth, Jerry G. Pankhurst, Gabriella Pusztai, Ringo Ringvee, Ariane Sadjed, Marjan Smrke, Miroslav Tížik, David Václavík, Jan Váně, Marko Veković, and Siniša Zrinščak.

The importance of people in organizations has been growing in the organizational environment over the last decades. Digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and sustainability have already reinforced the role of people as a differentiating element for the success and survival of organizations. These phenomena alone are already challenging for people. There is a consensus that the world of work as we knew before the pandemic will not return. Human resource management (HRM) practices must prepare organizations for the future of work. The Handbook of Research on Challenges for Human Resource Management in the COVID-19 Era analyzes state-of-the-art HRM in a digital transformation context and investigates the factors that promote more learning and development dynamics in organizational contexts. It also evaluates the impact of HRM policies on individuals, organizations, and societies. Covering topics such as corporate social responsibility, job satisfaction, and electronic performance monitoring, this major reference work is a crucial resource for leaders from public and private companies, human resource professionals, specialists, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Bridging cultural and experimental existential psychology, this book offers a synthetic understanding of how culture shapes psychological threat.