3.193 death rituals? online resources? (63)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Fri, 30 Jun 89 00:22:57 EDT


Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 193. Friday, 30 Jun 1989.


(1) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 89 20:23:07 CDT (23 lines)
From: Richard Goerwitz <goer@sophist.uchicago.edu>
Subject: death rituals

(2) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 89 21:39:00 EDT (18 lines)
From: <BCJ@PSUVM.BITNET>
Subject: bibliographies, databases, back issues

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 89 20:23:07 CDT
From: Richard Goerwitz <goer@sophist.uchicago.edu>
Subject: death rituals

Lately I've been interested in old Near Eastern rituals concerning the
mourning of recently deceased relatives. Among the general stock
of practices were 1) cutting the flesh, 2) shaving the head, 2) wear-
ing sackcloth, 4) putting dust on the head, 5) sitting on the ground
or on some other lowly place (dungheap, ash heap), 6) moaning and
wailing, 7) foregoing personal adornments, 8) fasting. Does anyone
know of parallels to any of these rituals in other cultures? I'm
not so much thinking of moaning or wailing as of the more exotic
rituals, such as cutting the flesh and shaving the head.

I'd suggest sending replies to me, unless I'm unreachable. If any-
one requests it, I'll be happy to relay information back again to
this newsgroup.

-Richard L. Goerwitz
goer@sophist.uchicago.edu
rutgers!oddjob!gide!sophist!goer


(2) --------------------------------------------------------------24----
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 89 21:39:00 EDT
From: <BCJ@PSUVM.BITNET>
Subject: bibliographies, databases, back issues

A brief request, probably not worth posting: my dean, hearing me
mention my recent experience accessing the Eighteenth Century Short
Title Catalogue from my own home, has asked me to report on what other
databases &c. are similarly available. We're rather remote from research
centres, and such tools are invaluable. The subject of the MLA biblio-
graphies also came up, and I remembered the discussions of last week
(which I did not save -- can I get them again from the archives?).

[I answered this question about Humanist's archives. --W.M.]

Are there listings anywhere of accessible on-line catalogues and other
databases useful for isolated humanists?

Thanks for any information you can forward.

Kevin Berland <BCJ@PSUVM>