Towers, L. orcid.org/0000-0003-4047-5222 (2024) Siblings and the bereaved self: identity (re)construction following the death of a brother or sister. Sociology. ISSN 0038-0385
Abstract
Having and being a sibling can be vital in shaping one’s identity. Using data from a qualitative study exploring experiences of sibling bereavement over the life course, this article questions how the death and subsequent loss of a brother or sister impacts upon the way that surviving siblings (continue to) construct their sense of self. It explores how people re-assess the established similarities and differences they shared with living siblings and re-negotiate their positioning within the chronological sibling birth order. In doing so, this article emphasises the sociological importance of lateral kinship ties with siblings, demonstrating that being and having a sibling can have lasting implications for the way that people perceive and present themselves, even after death. As such, the article concludes that the dead can continue to maintain an important and influential, albeit liminal, position in the webs of relationships in which people are embedded.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages. |
Keywords: | bereavement; death; identity; relationality; self; siblings |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Education |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ES/V007734/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Sep 2024 14:33 |
Last Modified: | 18 Sep 2024 14:33 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/00380385241278139 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217333 |
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