Pınar Durgun

Pınar Durgun

Contributor

Dr. Pınar Durgun is an art historically trained archaeologist with a background in anthropology and museum studies, fascinated by the diversity of human reactions to death and dying. She analyzes cemeteries, studies mortuary practices, and works on funerary objects. She spends a lot of time thinking and writing about the ways we bury (or do not bury) our dead. More about her can be found on her website.

The Deathbed

Plastered Skulls: What can a 10,000 year old tradition teach us about coping with death?

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Teaching about Death and Burial “Design your own burial” is an activity on my course syllabus. No matter how many times students see it on their handout and on the lecture screen, it takes them a minute to comprehend these words. Watching my twenty-something-year-old students think about their own mortality, their own death— sometimes for… Read more →

The Deathbed

Why We Need to Talk About Death Right Now

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I can hear some of you say, “Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?” That’s the same question American cartoonist Roz Chast’s parents asked her when she wanted to talk to them about their deaths. Her title represents the general attitude towards death in American society today. Even in the midst of a global pandemic,… Read more →