@DeathRef

A friendly deathwire reference desk from fiendly librarians and a Professor of Death Studies. https://xitter.cf/t.co/78zlH9xO4q

 Six feet below the tubes.
johntroyer.com
Joined July 2009
  • Tweets10.1K
  • Following1.1K
  • Followers7.8K
2.1KMedia
Replying to @DeathRef
@DeathRef's new book "Technologies of the Human Corpse" is officially out *today* April 28, 2020. You can buy it from all the places. Huge thanks to @mitpress and editor Matt Browne (@HappyFlaneur) for seeing the future of death mitpress.mit.edu/contributor… johntroyer.com
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Dr Sarah Wishart@sarahwishart29 Jul 2020
My friend John Troyer wrote this incredible piece. I clicked on it in the Guardian without knowing it was him, without knowing he'd lost his sister and I was horrified I'd somehow missed this event but also - even knowing his skills as a writer - just so moved by his writing.
Death Reference Desk@DeathRef29 Jul 2020
Replying to @DeathRef
You died two-years ago today little sister. Right now I was waiting to board the Bristol to Milan plane. I am forever grateful that I got the chance to write about your death, even though watching you die really sucked. But I'm here today with Mom and Dad. theguardian.com/society/2020…

‘I was completely unprepared’: confronting my sister’s death

The long read: Despite my father’s job as a funeral director, and my career studying death and dying, personal loss still floored me

theguardian.com
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Death Reference Desk@DeathRefSep 24
Death Ref John has an upcoming talk. Check it out if you can. In-person and online. Totally FREE! Book here --- forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/…
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Death Ref John has an upcoming talk. Check it out if you can. In-person and online. Totally FREE! Book here --- forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/…
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Kathryn Mannix@drkathrynmannixFeb 16
Replying to @DeathRef
Congratulations 🎊 John. I hope you feel the ripples of their pride in you.
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So I was recently promoted and I am now Professor of Death Studies in the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath. This is a photo of me with my parents in 2006(!) when I won a Ph.D. dissertation award. I wish I coud tell them all this but I think they know.
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My @mitpress book 'Technologies of the Human Corpse' was recently published in China. Here are details -- Chinese title: 身体的价值 List Price: RMB 49.00 Paperback ISBN: 9787108080639 book.douban.com/subject/3781…
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Merry Christmas everyone!
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Timeless.......
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#NeverForget #NakatomiPlaza
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Imogen Jones@Imogensjones22 Dec 2025
You can read more in my latest blog:deadbodiesandthelaw.wordpres… @LucyGoBag @OnTheArrow @asds_death @cendeathsociety @DeathRef @mortuarygem @theaptone @asds_death @cendeathsociety @DeathRef @mortuarygem @theaptone

Neo-Liberalising Grief and How I got here

Earlier this week I received an email which really irked me. In combination with a very rewarding series of exchanges with a pathologist regarding, amongst many things, the role of compassion in de…

deadbodiesandthelaw.wordpress.com
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Ahead of #WorldAIDSDay (1 Dec), I reflect on memory, stigma, and dignity in deathwork. From Troyer’s Technologies of the Human Corpse to my own village in 1983, this thread explores how the HIV/AIDS corpse became a site of fear, politics, and resistance—across Uganda and beyond.
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Happy Thanksgiving America! youtube.com/watch?v=rSKV84oq…
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Kathryn Mannix@drkathrynmannix26 Nov 2025
Replying to @PilgrimsHospice @cendeathsociety @GeorgeGumisiri4 @DyingMatters @DeathRef @dickinson_aly @GoodGriefFest @goodgrieftrust
Thanks for sharing this. I love the metaphors of the farewell gift of socks for the UK cold weather from his cousin Paul and of George's colleague darning his 'legacy' socks. Thanks, George, for helping us understand the myriad meanings of #home.
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Pilgrims Hospices@PilgrimsHospice26 Nov 2025
George Gumisiriza completed his PhD @cendeathsociety. He is speaking at the #HospiceUKConf on 27/11 re: faith, culture and spiritual care in hospices. We invite you to read a blog George wrote for us about death traditions in African culture: ow.ly/JiKc50Xxo3n ✨ 💙
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Cultural Critique@CulturalCritiq125 Nov 2025
John Troyer offers this insight in CC129: “There is no conclusion to things without end. Not really. Nor should there be. I will always be grieving and mourning my family, and I think that is entirely healthy.” Read the full piece at doi.org/10.1353/cul.2025.a97…
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Cultural Critique@CulturalCritiq125 Nov 2025
CC 129 “Mourning Without End” is officially live on Project MUSE! Contributors include Judith Butler, Nadia Bou Ali, Christopher Breu, Stephen Sheehi, Tim Dean, Ida Dominijanni, John Troyer, and our very own Editors! Check it out: muse.jhu.edu/issue/55881
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Death Reference Desk retweeted
U of MN Press@UMinnPress24 Nov 2025
Three recent journal issue releases: -@CulturalCritiq1 129: Mourning Without End. Feat. @DeathRef -Buildings & Landscapes 32.2 via @vafweb -Environment, Space, Place 16.2. Feat. @SeanDLawrence All available via @ProjectMUSE Open access articles listed in comments.
Cultural Critique 129 cover featuring the journal title running off the edges of the cover. The C's are written in red. The special issue title "Mourning Without End" and issue information appear below on a red background.

ALT Cultural Critique 129 cover featuring the journal title running off the edges of the cover. The C's are written in red. The special issue title "Mourning Without End" and issue information appear below on a red background.

Cover for Buildings & Landscapes 32.2 with the journal's title arranged vertically and horizontally in a plus shape. Qilou shophouses in Chikan, Guangdong Province, China are shown underneath.

ALT Cover for Buildings & Landscapes 32.2 with the journal's title arranged vertically and horizontally in a plus shape. Qilou shophouses in Chikan, Guangdong Province, China are shown underneath.

Cover for Environment, Space, Place 16.2. The journal's title is written on a blue background. A diagonal line cuts between the words "Environment" and "Space."

ALT Cover for Environment, Space, Place 16.2. The journal's title is written on a blue background. A diagonal line cuts between the words "Environment" and "Space."

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Death Reference Desk retweeted
Death Reference Desk@DeathRef4 Sep 2025
Too Poor to Die Please join us for a talk with Amy Shea – to mark the launch of her new book Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins. Hosted online by @DeathRef on Tuesday 23 September from 7-8pm UK time - ⬇️ Tickets below ⬇️ eventbrite.co.uk/e/too-poor-…

Too Poor to Die

The hidden realities of dying in the margins

eventbrite.co.uk
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Too Poor to Die Please join us for a talk with Amy Shea – to mark the launch of her new book Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins. Hosted online by @DeathRef on Tuesday 23 September from 7-8pm UK time - ⬇️ Tickets below ⬇️ eventbrite.co.uk/e/too-poor-…

Too Poor to Die

The hidden realities of dying in the margins

eventbrite.co.uk
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Too Poor to Die Please join us for a talk with Amy Shea – to mark the launch of her new book Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins. Hosted online by @DeathRef on Tuesday 23 September from 7-8pm BST ⬇️ Tickets below ⬇️ eventbrite.co.uk/e/too-poor-…

Too Poor to Die

The hidden realities of dying in the margins

eventbrite.co.uk
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