How discourse analysis can provide contextualisation to research

This month on the 14th of December :

How discourse analysis can provide a much-needed contextualisation of our end-of-life research

During this webinar, Dr. Els van Wijngaarden will discuss how discourse analysis can enrich our end-of-life research. Drawing on a recent discourse analysis about ‘a good death’ and ‘dignified dying’ in Dutch newspapers, she will illustrate how such method can facilitate a deeper understanding of the context in which people face the end-of-life. She will argue discourse analysis is not only a promising but also indispensible way to unravel how the use of dominant language in the public space foregrounds certain values, while marginalizes or overlooks others. Moreover, it facilitates mapping out how dominant language construes different types social actions, positions and identities, framing the way people view their own end-of-life situation.

Els van Wijngaarden, PhD, is a care ethicist and associate professor in Contemporary Meanings of Ageing and Dying at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Her line of research concerns ethical and existential questions regarding death and dying in old age, with a specific interest for the role of choice and control at the end-of-life. She was educated in religious studies and interfaith spiritual care (MA, at VU University Amsterdam). Prior to her work in care ethics and health humanities, she worked as a health chaplain in the care for older people, people with Korsakov and people with mental disabilities.

(This webinar will be recorded and your presence will be visible to other attendees and future viewers)

About the webinar series:

In this three-monthly webinar in palliative and end-of-life care, the VUB-UGent End-of-Life Care Research Group and the Public Health at the End of Life Research Group of the Amsterdam UMC invite experienced national and international speakers to present health services, public health and clinical research that uses innovative research methods. The aim is to exchange and grow knowledge on a diverse range of methods used in these different disciplines and explore their potential for improving and innovating future palliative and end-of-life care research.

The seminar will held over Zoom. Participation is free of charge, but registration is compulsory. Upon registration you will be sent a link to join the webinar. For more information: endoflifecare@vub.be