Nostos Salon 05
A monthly gathering of good food, drinks, and conversation—where anthropology meets community in an engaging, accessible way.
Anthropology of Death and Dying with Dr Hannah Gould
Our latest Nostos gathering invited us into one of life’s only certainties, and perhaps one of its most avoided: death. Under the theme The Anthropology of Death and Dying, we came together to explore mortality not as a distant or taboo subject, but as something deeply human, social, and culturally shaped.
We were welcomed with a rich and expansive talk by Dr Hannah Gould, whose work spans Buddhist studies, material culture, and the anthropology of death across Australia and North-East Asia. Drawing on her research, Hannah gently guided us into the many ways societies make meaning around mortality, from Buddhist death rites and the lifecycle of sacred objects, to contemporary shifts toward green burials, digital memorialisation, and evolving practices of care.
Rather than treating death as something to be hidden or managed at a distance, Hannah invited us to consider how it is lived, felt, and organised within cultural worlds. What happens to our belongings when we die? How do changing spiritual landscapes and declining religious affiliation reshape our rituals of grief and remembrance? And how might new technologies and sustainability movements transform the ways we care for the dead, and for one another?
Together, we reflected on the quiet, often unspoken dimensions of grief. Participants shared stories of losing parents, navigating funeral spaces, and mourning beloved pets. There was a tenderness in the room, an openness that allowed both vulnerability and curiosity to coexist. In speaking about death, we found ourselves also speaking about life: about what matters, what endures, and how we wish to be remembered.
As always, Nostos became a space not for definitive answers, but for thoughtful engagement with complexity. It was a conversation that asked us not to turn away, but to lean in, with care, with courage, and with one another.
A deeply moving and grounding gathering, and a reminder that in bringing death back into conversation, we create the conditions for more conscious, compassionate, and connected ways of living.
Special thanks to NON and NOW Wines for supporting this event.
Longer Reads | Articles
“How to Die in the 21st Century A whole new way to talk about death” by Hannah Gould
“When Death Falls Apart” by Hannah Gould
“Death and Funeral Practices in Japan” by Hannah Gould, Aki Miyazawa and Shinya Yamada
“From Here to Eternity Travelling the World to Find the Good Death” by Caitlin Doughty and Landis Blair
Podcasts
“On Death and Dying” by Stephen Jenkinson
“Hannah Gould on Death and the Dead in Japan” (Death Studies Podcast)
“Why Do We Eat at Funerals?” (SAPIENS)
“Dr Yasmin Gunaratnam on transnational dying and end-of-life care in cities” (Death Studies Podcast)
‘What’s a life worth?’ (Ted talk from Dr. Naheed Dosan)
“Life itself means to separate and to be reunited, to change form and condition, to die and to be reborn”
― Arnold van Gennep