Sorgens singularitet – og dens banalitet

Abstract

In this article I look at grief through the theoretical perspective of Andreas Reckwitz and his analysis of what he calls the The Society of Singularities (Reckwitz, 2019). I do this by first discussing how grief always exists somewhere between the general and the particular- it is a fact of life that we all must die, but each experience of grief is as particular and varied as every single relationship. I then introduce Reckwitz’ thoughts on the transformation of society, from the focus on the rational and general in modernity, to late-modernity where we now valorize the singular. I then attempt to discuss how we might come to understand the current culture of grief through this perspective. How might we now understand grief as a form of curated performance, where the focus is on showing a constructing a singular story or experience of grief? And what might some of the consequences be, when we devalue the more general aspects of grief?