Braiding Western and Eastern Cultural Rituals in Bereavement: An Autoethnography of Healing the Pain of Prolonged Grief

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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Western Civilization; Asian Culture; Ethnography; Interdisciplinary Approach; Story Telling; Cultural Traits; Ceremonies; Parent Child Relationship; Cultural Background; Indians; North Americans; Religious Factors; Personal Narratives; Fathers; Foreign Countries; Psychological Patterns; Diaries; Recall (Psychology); Emotional Adjustment; Christianity; Community; Cultural Differences; Death; Grief

Canada; India

10.1080/03069885.2021.1983158

0306-9885

Despite the decline of rituals in North America, contemporary grief literature emphasises the healing potential of these practices. After my father's death, and due to my cultural hybridity as an Indo-Canadian, once the short-term western ways of mourning concluded, long-term Indian rituals offered meaningful and sustaining ways to honour my grief. By engaging in year-long mourning traditions of prayer, fasting, sacred ceremonies, and charitable contributions, I learned how braiding western and eastern cultural rituals into my bereavement enhanced my ability to heal. This article narrates the positive impact that rituals had on lifting my prolonged grief: releasing my suffering through tangible actions. Using an autoethnographic approach, I combine storytelling, cultural traditions, and grief research to explore my interdisciplinary approach to healing.

As Provided

2022

EJ1323113