Employing Heidegger in death studies
A practical introduction for qualitative research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24216218 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Byrne (0000-0002-8809-3664, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mortality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1357-6275 • E-ISSN: 1469-9885 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13576275.2026.2738772 |
| OpenAlex | W7214172960 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
This paper presents a first introduction of Martin Heidegger’s analysis of death in a form that is philosophically exact and methodologically transformative for qualitative research in death studies. This goal is accomplished in two steps. First, I reconstruct Heidegger’s account of being-towards-death. Rather than relying on fragmentary citations or slogans, I provide a sustained philosophical account that preserves the precision of his analysis, while presenting it in a form that is understandable to qualitative and empirical researchers generally. Second, I advance a methodological innovation. I show how Heidegger’s account of being-towards-death can be operationalised in qualitative death studies in a strikingly immediate and unexpectedly powerful way. This operationalisation is possible via a newly developed methodology, ‘Phenomenologically Directed Qualitative Research (PDQR)’. The structure of PDQR directly aligns with Heidegger’s analysis such that his distinctions can directly shape empirical inquiry. In this alignment, Heidegger’s thought can become the generative framework through which lived experiences of death can be investigated. The result is a decisive advance for death studies, establishing a framework that makes possible forms of inquiry that have until now remained out of reach.
being-toward-death · Death · Martin Heidegger · Phenomenology · qualitative research methodology · Thanatology · Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning · Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
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The Meaning of Illness
How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others
Phenomenological Qualitative Methods Applied to the Analysis of Cross-Cultural Experience in Novel Educational Social Contexts
“We’re protecting them to death”—A Heideggerian interpretation of loneliness among older adults in long-term care facilities during Covid-19
Investigating modes of being in the world
Body objectified? Phenomenological perspective on patient objectification in teleconsultation
The Phenomenological Reduction in Qualitative Research and Philosophy
The medical gaze reframed
The Lived Experience of Mortality in Cancer Care
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The Meaning of “Phenomenology”
Being‐Towards‐Death and Owning One's Judgment
The Phenomenology, Contextuality, and Existentiality of Emotional Trauma
The existential meaning of death and reconsidering death education through the perspectives of Kierkegaard and Heidegger
The Risks of Phenomenology in Qualitative Research
Front-Loaded Phenomenology in Qualitative Research
The Existential Meaning of Couples' Long-Term Experience of Living with Stroke
Shattered assumptions
Phenomenology in Its Original Sense
Cassirer and Heidegger in Davos
Understanding the Key Tenets of Heidegger's Philosophy for Interpretive Phenomenological Research
Sociology towards death
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |