Annotated Bibliography

Thesis: Understanding death as a universal phenomenon can be tricky since it is easy to get lost in

individual details that are largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Instead, it requires

focusing on similarities shared by cross-cultures in terms of funerary behavior and its

relationship to the structural aspects of a group. Abstract: Death is an inevitable natural event that occurs in every species’ daily life. What sets human

beings apart from other species is that we have the ability to mourn to death and to perform

mortuary rituals. Despite the differences in rituals celebrating death throughout the world, it

is not a surprise to find similarities among many cultures. In many cultures, people believe

death is a transition between the current life and the after-life, and the dead should be

well-taken care of by their relatives and close ones to be able to enjoy a successful after-life.

By studying the individual details of different cultures, one can get distracted and miss the

big picture. Therefore, it is important to observe the similarities across societies and find a

similar structure. One will then realize that despite many responses to the perspective on

death, ​the concept of the mortuary pattern has always been universal throughout history

regardless of the locations and cultures, and the only difference that sets groups apart in the

form and frequency. ​Need to rewrite these 2 sentences with the underline.