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About Some 19th-Century Theories of Suicide

Interpreting Suicide in an East European Country

University of Central Florida, USA, cbradata{at}mail.ucf.edu

In this article I compare the suicide theories advanced by two 19th-century thinkers, Masaryk and Durkheim, and test their conclusions using data from an East European country, Romania, before and after the 1989 fall of communism. Using data from various sources (censuses, vital statistical publications, European databases), I follow two main directions in my discussion: a) differences and similarities between the two theories of suicide and b) what can still be used from these theories to explain suicide as a social phenomenon.

Key Words: Durkheim • Eastern Europe • Masaryk • minorities • suicide

References

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• Breault, K.D. (1994) `Was Durkheim Right? A Critical Survey of the Empirical Literature on Le Suicide', in D. Lester (ed.) Emile Durkheim. Le Suicide. 100 Years Later, pp. 264—95. Philadelphia, PA: The Charles Press.
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• Delumeau, J. (1997) Pãcatul si frica. Culpabilizarea în Occident (secolele 13—15) [The Sin and the Fear. Culpableness in the Occident between the 13th and 15th Century], trans. into Romanian by I. Ilinca and C. Chiriac. Iasi: Polirom.
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• Váry, S. (2003) `Une singularité de la sainte publique: l'évolution de la mortalité en Hongrie depuis 1970' [`A Singularity of Public Health: Evolution of Mortality in Hungary after 1970'], Revue d'étude comparatives Est—Ouest 34(1): 123—65.

International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 48, No. 5, 417-432 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0020715206070269


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bradatan, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?