Prof Erica Borgstrom

Great to see so many new people joining! I tend to post about palliative and end of life care research and death studies, sharing resources and publications, event links, etc. Anthropologists, by training, connecting within and beyond the discipline.

Looking for a new podcast to listen to? Try Open Thanatology Talks! We have one about voluntary gravedigging open.spotify.com/episode/0Dzk... #ThanatologyTalks

Recently shared the award-winning animation 'The unexpected places we choose to lay our dead to rest' on OpenLearn. You can watch it for free here: www.open.edu/openlearn/un...

New publication - Good death: A critical essay on the concept in global palliative and end of life care. With colleagues Libby Sallnow Hanum Atikasari Aileen Collier Scott Preston Smriti Rana. It's open access & available from Palliative Care and Social Practice journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Death & Culture Network #DACNET this evening 👉 Thurs 10 Sep 2026 5pm - 6pm (UK) for death related researchers to connect. Open to all, international attendees welcome! ONLINE event - REGISTER 👉 deathandsociety.org/eventsandgro... @chendirl.bsky.social #DeathStudies #ASDS #DeathCare #Culture

Today is the last day to register to study this undergraduate-level module on death, dying and bereavement with the Open University.

Missed Prof Borgstrom's lecture earlier this year on 'Lessons from Death'? You can watch the recording now on YouTube and find out more here research.open.ac.uk/events/reima... #ThanatologyThursday

With MPs set to vote on assisted dying tomorrow, I'm reminded of the three-part series on the topic I was part of for Inside Health on Radio 4, where we explored some of the nuances in more depth. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Still time to register for the Open Thanatology conference (online, Wed Oct 21) via www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-centre...

If you're in the UK, tune into BBC 1 for Morning Live today from 9.30am (and iPlayer later) - you can spot me in a segment on Medical Misogyny. You can check out the cool, research-informed interactive on OU Connect, too, on the topic connect.open.ac.uk/morning-live...

Aug 30th is National Grief Awareness Day - want to learn more about grief and bereavement? Check out our free resources on the Open Thanatology Hub www.open.edu/openlearn/he...

An academic friend of mine died earlier this year. So many of the platforms and systems I use daily (both for work or general socialising) still recommend him as one of the top three people I should be communicating with. A continusous reminder, and I'm curious when it will change.

Are you on LinkedIn? You can also follow us there! www.linkedin.com/showcase/the... #ThanatologyThursday

Want a discount on your next death-related book purchase from Routledge? Check out the discount code below... and look out for their sales, too!

ICYMI: recent article out with colleagues from the DAPPLE study. Title - Palliative and end-of-life care in people with and without intellectual disabilities in primary care: identification, survival time, and healthcare utilization. academic.oup.com/fampra/artic...

This series called Emergency 24/7 starts on BBC 2 next Tuesday. I was involved as one of the consulting nurse academics from The Open University 👍👍 well worth a watch with an amazing of team of healthcare professionals 🏥 @openuniversity.bsky.social #BBC #SouthmeadHospital

First day back at work after 3 weeks' leave. Easing in by not starting in my inbox (fearful of that), but picking up an older piece of writing. Thankful that past-me put some clues into how to progress the next paragraph.

Don’t miss out on the BSA’s Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, 8-10 September, Northumbria University – always an essential networking event for medical sociology academics and professionals. Deadline for booking is this Sunday, 16 August. tinyurl.com/mvamrywu #sociology

Routledge is offering 20% off books that I've authored/edited until 31 August. Use the discount code APSYCDDR20 (although check for their other sales too for savings!) Here's one of the books you could get... www.routledge.com/9781032330624

Routledge is offering 20% off books that I've authored/edited until 31 August. Use the discount code APSYCDDR20 (although check for their other sales too for savings!) Here's one of the books you could get... www.routledge.com/9781032330624

Nothing fancy but here's an author website with some of the books I've authored and edited... erica-borgstrom.author-pages.com

Adrenaline rush of the afternoon - received an automated text message saying my partner has contacted emergency services... while I was recording a radio interview segment and responding to a question about how working with death daily impacts how I live my life... all okay, thankfully!

Someone asked me today for some recommended reads related to the end of life and grief. I actually have a few 'reading lists' as a starter uk.bookshop.org/shop/borgstrom Purchasing via Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. FYI: the link here is an affiliative one.

Link for registration: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-...

"grief machine" indeed... We did not have *all this* quite at the forefront of our minds when writing our paper on grieving "loss" in HE, but sadly I think it still resonates, FWIW... journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social @emmawatsonkirby.bsky.social @drkrawz.bsky.social

Join us at @openthanatology.bsky.social @openuniversity.bsky.social to explore all aspects death and loss. From changing funeral practices to careers in palliative care, from grieving divergently to existential disconnections and global change. This hybrid conference covers all this and more!

ooh live podcast recording...including Beth from @deathstudiespod.bsky.social as part of the @openthanatology.bsky.social confernce in June. Tickets on sale now for in-person and online attendance.

📢 OpenARC Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century | 17 June 2026 - Save the date 💡 What is the role of the public humanities today? 📅 17 June 2026 🕤 Starting 9:30am 💻 Online | Free 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe... #PublicHumanities #ArtsAndHumanities

If anyone should find more inquests, send them my way so I can add them to the Spreadsheet of Inquest Caches.

One of our directors - Prof Borgtrom - is giving an inaugural lecture on June 3rd. Registration is free! You can attend in person (Milton Keynes) or online). www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin... #ThanatologyThursday

Still time to register for our upcoming conference. If you're interested in #DyingMatters this week, this event in June is for you!

We're looking forward to you joining us in June for the Centre for Open Thanatology launch! Whether in person or online, there's a range of topics and chances to connect. More info in the post below

Want to catch up on some of our previous events? We have recordings and resources on ORDO - you can watch, download and cite them! ordo.open.ac.uk/projects/Ope... #ThanatologyThursday

🎉 You’re invited! Join us for the Launch of The Centre for Open Thanatology: Dialogue and Engagement with Death and Loss - 23rd June ⭐ Keynote: Prof. Neil Thompson 🎙️ Live podcast recording: Dr Bethan Michael-Fox interviewing Dr Korina Giaxoglou. 🔗 Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-...

It's coming out soon and I can't wait to read it... The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Death. www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...

If you are an academic, could you please help? We would like to speak with UK based academics about their experiences of "failure" or non-success in research. We want to speak with people at ALL stages of their career, on ANY contract, in ANY department. 1/2

Listen to BBC Radio 4 this morning discussing end of life doulas? Some Open Thanatology members did an evluation of end of life doula service innovation - you can read the report for free oro.open.ac.uk/91880/

Looking for something to get you thinking? Join @remembermyhat.bsky.social & I on June 3rd for our inaugural lectures, covering sexuality, ageing, and death. Free to attend in-person (Milton Keynes) or online - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin...

🎉New paper out - Processes and partitions: Two logics of end-of-life care. In Anthropology Today, co-authored with Simon Cohn and Annelieke Driessen. rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A great opportunity to shape the future of sociology! The BSA seeks one Membership Services Trustee and two Teacher Trustees for its governing Board. Applications by 14 April, details at: www.mi-nomination.com/bsatrustee

My inaugural lecture is coming up - June 3rd! Talking about my research and lessons about the end of life and loss. Free to attend (in person in Milton Keynes or online), plus opportunity to hear my wonderful colleague @remembermyhat.bsky.social too! Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin...

Did you know the Open University (OU) does virtual open days? They give you a chance to explore what studying at the OU is like. You can register to join one here - openuniversity.swoogo.com/book-a-virtu...

Whoop Whoop! @remembermyhat.bsky.social and I are giving our inaugural lectures on June 3rd. More details in her post below, including how to register to attend.

What is it like to research death and loss? Listen to several Open Thanatology members share their experiences and insights. www.open.edu/openlearn/he... #ThanatologyThursday

I often listen to music when writing, including music with lyrics. I listen across a few genres. Any recommendations for some new (or new-to-me)/emerging singer-songwriters I could get into?

I'm off to Highgate Cemetery tomorrow. My first time! Which feels far too late for a 'death scholar' so close to London. Any tips?

What books about death or grief would you recommend to a friend? #WorldBookDay