Suicide Social Dramas: Life-Giving Moral Breakdowns in the Israeli Public Sphere

This book explores how suicide is treated in the Israeli public sphere through an ethnohistorical lens, suggesting that public glossing practices atone for and bring about the symbolic rectification of the socially detrimental effects of suicide. It draws on Durkheim's thought on the social significance of suicide and the sacred cohesive power of societies self-representations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 16 July 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the emotional treatment of selected suicide media events through an ethnohistorical lens, offering a neo-Durkheimian account of suicide. It addresses the social-moral threat posed by suicide and the subsequent need to gloss over its unsettling incomprehensibility. By analyzing the social dramas, cultural performances, and suicide talk aired in the Israeli public sphere, the author suggests that these public glossing practices serve as a means of atoning for and rectifying the socially detrimental effects of suicide. Drawing on Durkheim's understanding of the social significance of suicide and the sacred cohesive power of societies self-representations through rituals and commemorations, the author revamps the contemporary relevance of these cultural devices. They demonstrate how suicide talk functions as a revival mechanism of communal life-giving, reconstituting and redressing the disrupted order. This approach will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, anthropology, social theory, Israel studies, suicide studies, and the interpretation of societal and cultural processes.

Introduction:
Suicide is a complex and deeply emotional phenomenon that has captivated the attention of societies throughout history. While its causes and motivations are often debated, suicide remains a significant social-moral threat that requires careful examination. In recent years, the media has played a crucial role in shaping public perceptions and attitudes towards suicide, often through the portrayal of emotionally-laden suicide media events. This book seeks to explore the ethnohistorical chronicling of these events, offering a neo-Durkheimian account of suicide that addresses its social-moral threat and the ensuing need to gloss over its unsettling incomprehensibility.

Social Dramas:
An analysis of the social dramas, cultural performances, and suicide talk aired in the Israeli public sphere reveals a profound understanding of the emotional impact of suicide. These public glossing practices serve as a means of atoning for and rectifying the socially detrimental effects of suicide. By examining the social dramas, cultural performances, and suicide talk aired in the Israeli public sphere, the author suggests that these practices constitute a symbolic rectification of the disrupted order. Suicide talk, in particular, plays a vital role in this process, as it constitutes a revival mechanism of communal life-giving.

Cultural Performances:
Cultural performances, such as plays, movies, and television shows, have also been used to address the social-moral threat posed by suicide. These performances often depict the emotional struggles of individuals who are contemplating suicide or have already attempted suicide. By providing a platform for these stories to be told, cultural performances help to normalize the conversation around suicide and reduce the stigma associated with it.

Suicide Talk:
Suicide talk, or the public discourse surrounding suicide, is another important aspect of the social-moral threat posed by suicide. Through social media, news outlets, and other forms of communication, individuals can share their experiences and perspectives on suicide, often in a way that is both personal and vulnerable. Suicide talk serves as a means of connecting individuals who are experiencing similar struggles and providing a sense of community and support.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book offers a neo-Durkheimian account of suicide that examines how society deals with the shattering of normative we-feelings that suicide evokes. By analyzing the social dramas, cultural performances, and suicide talk aired in the Israeli public sphere, the author suggests that these practices serve as a means of atoning for and rectifying the socially detrimental effects of suicide. Suicide talk, in particular, plays a vital role in this process, as it constitutes a revival mechanism of communal life-giving. Through an ethnohistorical chronicling of the emotionally-laden treatment of selected suicide media-events, this book offers a neo-Durkheimian account of suicide, addressing its social-moral threat and the ensuing need to gloss over its unsettling incomprehensibility. An analysis of the social dramas, cultural performances, and suicide talk aired in the Israeli public sphere, it suggests that such public glossing practices atone for and bring about the symbolic rectification of the socially detrimental effects of suicide. Drawing on Durkheim's thought on the social significance of suicide and the sacred cohesive power of societys self-representations through rituals and commemorations, the authors revamp the contemporary pertinence of these cultural devices, showing how, in the process of reconstituting and redressing the disrupted order, suicide talk constitutes a revival mechanism of communal ‘life giving. A rekindling of the Durkheimian approach to suicide that examines how society deals with suicides shattering of normative we-feelings, Suicide Social Dramas: Moral Breakdowns in the Israeli Public Sphere will appeal to scholars and students of sociology and anthropology with interests in social theory,Israel studies,suicide studies,and the interpretation of societal and cultural processes.

Weight: 424g
Dimension: 160 x 242 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367568702