Politics of Sorrow

Daniel D. Martin is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, USA. He is co-author of Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology.

• Contents: Preface; The politics of sorrow; The social organization of bad news; Announcement shock and psychic numbing; Postmortem involvements; Identity management of the dead; Blame, accounts, and moral careers; From untamed to outlaw emotion; Feeling rules, organizational contradictions, and immobilization; Reflections; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

’This wonderful book is rich in interview material and sociological analysis about the grief process for families of murdered children. The book is filled with insights about grieving, support groups, community relationships, family processes, relations with the police and other authorities, the place of the media, religion, culture, and issues of social class, race, and gender.’ Paul C. Rosenblatt, University of Minnesota, USA ’A masterpiece of interactionist theory and method applied to a poignant national tragedy, The Politics of Sorrow is a sensitive and compelling treatment of a tragic and difficult subject. Excellent and timely, this will stand as one of the most brilliant treatments of this heart-breaking phenomenon ever written.’ Charles Edgley, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, USA 'This book represents a point of departure for social problems theorists to more fully consider how emotions and personal identities are aspects of social problems claims-making. ... The Politics of Sorrow should be of interest to a variety of sociological audiences. The topic is compelling and has relevance to several different sociological specialties and perspectives. Martin’s writing style should be accessible to students as well as professional academics. ... I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to others.' Symbolic Interaction