Shared Finitude: Intergenerational Death Awareness

Abstract

This article develops the notion of intergenerational death awareness through a relational reading of finitude. I begin by discussing the different ways in which the philosophical canon has understood the relationship between death, subjectivity, and otherness. Drawing on an interview study with bereaved life partners and their experiences of ‘losing part of oneself’ following the death of the other, I seek to deconstruct this divide and illustrate how vital aspects of our experiences of finitude are inherently shared. In the present case, these others are often – apart from the lost partner – first and foremost the children one is responsible for. As a single parent, the primary source of relating to one’s own death is intergenerationally mediated through worrying and the sense of absolute responsibility for staying alive.