Publishing Death. Symbols, Religious Themes, and Individualisation in Death Notices in the Swedish Daily Newspapers 1976 - 1995
type: Dataset
description: The present study analyses 6,699 death notices appearing in Swedish newspapers from 1976 through 1995, and 5,766 death notices in specifically urban newspapers from the same period. The death notices are analysed using the same method as in an earlier study by theologian Per Block (Lund University), making it possible to study changes in the use of text in death notices already from 1945. The analysis shows that the number of cross symbols decreased markedly, from nearly 100 % of the death notices in 1976 to 39 % of the notices generally in 1995, and to 32 % of the notices in urban newspapers, while the number of alternative symbols increased. Interviews showed that a recurring concern was to choose a symbol that in some way portrayed the identity of the deceased. This may reflect an increased individualism and a reaction against the anonymity perceived in the cross symbol, which for many indicated only that somebody had died. The text portion of death notices has changed in that the number of notices containing language associated with Christianity decreased from 1945 to 1995. An attempt was made to relate these changes in death notices to changes in the rate of church oriented religiosity, but no clear connection was found. This study was part of a larger project, Cultural indicators: The Swedish Symbol System 1945-1975-1995 (KUSS II), funded by the former Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Purpose: The aim of the project was to study the contents of death notices in Swedish newspapers; how death notices are designed today (in the 1990s) and how they have changed over time. These issues were related to questions of secularisation and individualisation in Swedish society. The dataset consists of a sample of 6699 death notices published in Swedish daily newspapers during the years 1976-1995. The data includes the actual text from the death notices as well as coded data describing the level of religious content, symbols used, the size and politi…
citation: Rosengren, K. E. (Ed.) (1999). Från text till data: rapport från KUSS II-projektet om sammanställning av en databas med tidningstexter, Lund: Lund University.
citation: Dahlgren, Curt (2000). När döden skiljer oss åt: anonymitet och individualisering i dödsannonser 1945-1999. Lund: Teologiska institutionen, Univ.
conditions of access: https://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/access-right/NON_PUBLIC
conditions of access: info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
creative work status: completed
  type: DefinedTerm
  in defined term set: http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/dataset-status
  term code: COMPLETED
creator: Curt Dahlgren
  type: Person
  affiliation: Lund University
  family name: Dahlgren
  given name: Curt
date modified: 2025-03-20
date published: 2025-03-20
funding: Grant
  funder: Swedish Council for Research in the Humanitie and Social Sciences
language: Swedish
is part of: https://doi.org/10.5878/002095
keywords: Social behaviour and attitudes
keywords: Religion and values
keywords: Sociology
  type: DefinedTerm
  term code: 504
keywords: Religious Studies
  type: DefinedTerm
  description: Including: Social Sciences of Religions, Studies in Faiths and Ideologies/Systematic, Theology, Biblical Studies, Ecclesiology/Practical Theology, Church History
  term code: 60303
keywords: Ethnology
  type: DefinedTerm
  term code: 60503
keywords: secularisation
keywords: obituary
publisher: Lund University
size: QuantitativeValue
  unit text: variables
  value: 28
spatial coverage: Sweden
temporal coverage: 1976/1995
distribution: documentation/Symbolsamling dödsannonser.pdf
  type: DataDownload
  additional type: documentation
  conditions of access: http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/access-right/PUBLIC
  conditions of access: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
  content size: 630057
  encoding format: application/pdf
version: 2

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.5878/px3m-z541

PropertyValue
property ID: ISBN
value: 91-630-8547-X

Lund University
type: Organization
department: Department of Theology

Swedish
type: Language
alternate name: swe

Social behaviour and attitudes
type: DefinedTerm
description: Data on social behaviour, social interaction and networks, social responsibilities, social norms and rules, and attitudes towards these issues.
term code: SocietyAndCulture.SocialBehaviourAndAttitudes

Religion and values
type: DefinedTerm
description: Data which addresses questions of religious behaviour, religious movements, spirituality, morality and other values.
term code: SocietyAndCulture.ReligionAndValues

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
type: DefinedTerm

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
type: DefinedTerm

INDIVIDUALISM
type: DefinedTerm

RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOUR
type: DefinedTerm

Sweden
type: Place