A GLOBAL HISTORY OF CHILD DEATH. MORTALITY, BURIAL, AND PARENTAL ATTITUDES

Drawing from primary research studies in archaeology, historical analysis, literature, and art this interdisciplinary look at the history of child funerary practices and other vehicles of parental mourning is the only book of its kind. The purpose of this work is to investigate the ways in which funerary behaviors and grieving differ between cultures and across time; from prehistory to modern history. Philippe Aries, the French childhood historian, argued that children were rarely mourned upon their deaths as child death was a frequent and expected event, especially in the Middle Ages. This book draws upon archaeological reports, secondary data analysis, and analysis of literature, photography and artwork to refute, and in some cases support, Aries’s claim. Organized in two parts, Part One begins with a chapter on the causes of childhood mortality and the steps taken to prevent it, followed by chapters on prehistory, ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the early modern and late modern eras. The chapters in Part Two discuss indicators of parental concern at a child’s death: naming practices, replacement strategy, baptism, consolation literature, and artwork. Students who focus on the psychological aspects of death, funeral practices, and childhood histories will find this book a useful and comprehensive tool for examining how children have been mourned since prehistory.

Author
Amy J. Catalano is an associate professor at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York. As a research librarian and expert in children’s literature, she works primarily with education students and studies how children and adolescents learn in various contexts. She earned her doctorate in teaching and learning with a specialization in human development at Hofstra University. In addition to studying how students learn, Dr. Catalano studies parent-child relationships both in contemporary society and historically.