Final answer:
Death is a biosocial event explored through various academic lenses. Anthropologists like Victor Turner analyze the liminal state during rites of passage, while hospice care and thanatologists like Kübler-Ross study the emotional and practical aspects of dying. The Black Death also showcased how diseases can affect cultural expressions of death.
Step-by-step explanation:
Death is a significant biosocial event that signifies the endpoint of an individual's lifespan and has profound social implications. Anthropologist Victor Turner's research on liminality during rites of passage helps us understand the social aspects of death and dying. According to Turner, liminality is characterized by individuals being in a state of transition, 'betwixt and between' stages of social status. These individuals often display humility and obedience to the ritual leaders guiding them through status changes, symbolizing a form of social death. Furthermore, the collective experiences such as shared rites of passage can foster a sense of equality and social bonding known as communitas.
The concept of death is also present in various components of health and sociology. Hospice care, for example, is a healthcare approach that provides comfort for terminally ill people during the dying process. In the field of thanatology, the systematic study of death and dying, models like the Kübler-Ross five-stage model of grief have been developed to explain the emotional responses to death. Emotional reactions to death vary across cultures and are deeply influenced by whether death is perceived as an inevitable loss or a tranquil transition. The Black Death era, too, profoundly influenced artistic expressions, with prevalent themes of mortality and salvation, serving as cultural responses to the plague.