Abstract

ALONSO, Juan Pedro  and  AISENGART MENEZES, Rachel. Variations on the good death: a comparative analysis of end-of-life care in Argentina and Brazil. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2012, vol.13, n.2, pp.461-472. ISSN 1850-373X.

Humanities and social sciences have shown contextual and historical variations on representations and attitudes towards death and dying, as well as in social responses to these experiences. The article analyzes the medical organization of the dying process in palliative care settings, a medical branch specialized in hospice and terminal care. The paper addresses the similarities and differences of medical organization of dying in palliative care settings in Buenos Aires and Río de Janeiro, based on ethnographic researches conducted in hospices located in both cities. The paper analyzes and discusses the notion of "good death", central in palliative care philosophy, and explores their relationship with wider social processes. The comparative analysis reveals the common aspects that characterize the philosophy of palliative care and shows its local variations, which are shaped by cultural and institutional dimensions around death and dying in both contexts.

Keywords : Palliative care; End of life; Good death; Argentina.

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