Death and Dying in Taiwan

Every culture has a view on the theme of death and death and there is no culture that follows the same approach as other cultures. The reason is religion, there are so many different religions in the world that create unique values ​​and customs for death. Taiwan is no exception, because of the multicultural history, the country's religion is made up of various religious beliefs and customs. Compared to countries with many immigrants, most people living in Taiwan are indigenous or Han Chinese (Tan, 2003).

As a sociologist, I would like to know the relationship between culture and my death, death, and awareness of disease. Medical sociologist Catherine Alley has extensively reviewed the existing sociological literature on death and death. According to Eckersley and colleagues, Western societies including the United States are beginning to emphasize youth, vitality and health. Paradoxically from these values, death, death, and illness are often subject to taboo and sorrow. I can discuss these topics summarized (sometimes in my teaching). But when discussing death, death, and disease on an individual level, I become uncomfortable (I do not know how to worry, how to say or how to act). Regarding myself and lover, that is the same.

At the individual level, we can abstractly discuss death and death. However, when facing the reality of these phenomena, many of us can not speak openly. People who experienced or died of bastards can tell stories of people who say "uncomfortable" or "I do not know what to say". At the individual level, deaths are becoming increasingly institutionalized. Most of us die in hospitals and long-term care facilities where professional strangers care. An increase in life expectancy means that the aspect of "private" death is not encountered at the individual level before the middle age. Doing so may confront uncertainties about the procedure of sorrow and mourning. In increasingly secular societies, more traditional rituals and customs are being eroded.