Bereavement in older age in LGBTIQ+ adults differs from that of their counterparts (other-gender attracted and cis-gender adults), as well as from other stages of life (Moss et al., 2001; Patlamazoglou et al., 2018). This is largely due to social and cultural constructs which influence the way people understand their bereavement, respond to it, and experience and express their grief in a specific context (Goldsen, 2018; Ingham et al., 2017). This argument alludes largely to the contrast between normative or conventional ideas of social roles, responsibilities, gender assignment and specifications, and others, often characterised as nonconventional, socially noncompatible, provocative or bold (Millette & Bourgeois-Guerin, 2019; Stulberg, 2018). This said, we should not neglect to identify the generational disparities in the experiences of social groups who may not conform with the traditional ideas and practices in a given society.
By way of exploring the aforementioned tensions, this special issue seeks to highlight the multidisciplinary array of research already underway in this area. It will showcase key theories in thanatology (i.e., death studies) in dialogue with contemporary challenges in the understanding of and care for older people in LGBTIQ+ communities who are experiencing bereavement. The aim is to simultaneously stress-test existing theory with real problems, and to problematise practices in terms of theory. Further, it draws attention to multidisciplinary understanding and key research, which will enrich the literature of the emerging manifestations of the disconnect between current professional and theoretical understandings of bereavement in older age in LGBTIQ+ adults and one’s ‘habitus’ (Bourdieu, 1977) when having experienced disenfranchisement of own identity and thus overall lack of social recognition.
We are looking for original empirical manuscripts that use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches. Theoretical manuscripts and reviews of the literature will also be considered. Potential topics relevant to LGBTIQ+ older adults include, but are not limited to:
bereavement experiences
coping with bereavement
disenfranchised grief
the roles of older age and gender, sex, and sexuality in bereavement
social and cultural variations of bereavement
understanding, responding to and expressing grief
stigma, pride, resilience and personal growth through bereavement
novel methods of assessment and interventions
implementation of existing grief therapy, counselling and other practices
Submission process
Authors are invited to submit an abstract of their proposed manuscript by email to the guest editors of the special issue. Abstracts should be approximately 300 words and include a working title and up to five keywords, along with the authors’ names and affiliations.
All authors will be notified of the outcome of their abstract proposal. The authors of successful abstracts will then be invited to submit the completed manuscripts for blind peer review. All submitted manuscripts should comply with the journal’s instructions for authors. Based on the reviewers’ feedback, authors will submit the final version of their manuscripts. The submission and feedback timelines are below.
Please send your abstract submissions or inquiries to the guest editors:
Dr Panagiotis Pentaris at [email protected]
Dr Lefteris Patlamazoglou at [email protected]
Submission and feedback timeline
Abstract proposals due: 10 August 2020
Abstract outcome notification: 15 September 2020
Completed draft manuscripts due: 31 January 2021
Peer-review feedback: 30 April 2021
Submission of final version of manuscript due: 30 June 2021
Publication of special issue: Early 2022
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.