On Transition

Issue 6.1

Letter from the Editor

7 december 2021

The Process editorial board is pleased to present Issue 6.1, On Transition. Globally, we find ourselves in a time of great transition as we navigate a return to work and social life in the midst of a continuing pandemic, the necessary shifts in racial justice demanded by movements like Black Lives Matter, and the visible changes in our environment caused by climate change. The work in this issue explores transitions as universal as life to death and as singular as modern social movements within the United States. These authors explore the effects of desegregation on the educational experience of Black Americans as well as the movement of the United States from a welfare system to a penal one.

In Temilorun Akinola’s paper, “From Life to Death: Death and Dying Beliefs of the Yoruba,” Akinola examines how belief in predestination and reincarnation informs the funeral practices of the Yoruba people. Akinola emphasizes the importance of cultural patterns in individual responses to death to show that those helping the dying or bereaved must take a culturally sensitive approach to their care. Dominique Trucchio, in “The Punitive Escalation in United States Society: From a Welfare State to Penal State,” uses historical review and interview to consider America’s punitive approach to governing the socially marginalized. Trucchio traces the shift from the welfare programs inaugurated under the New Deal of the 1930’s to the increasingly punitive social and penal policies of the late twentieth century, ultimately arguing that neoliberalism has allowed this change by placing the responsibility for poverty and crime on individuals rather than systemic problems. Finally, Taylor Verville’s “The Black Experience in Education (The BEEs Project)” explores the oppression Black students face in American schools. Through interviews and literary review, Verville examines the experiences of Black students and teachers post-segregation, concluding that large-scale change is needed to place Black students in schools where they are the priority and have equal access to resources.

We hope that these pieces can provide insight into moments of transition in individual lives and cultures at large, as well as to prompt discussion of transition and change as universal human experiences. You can find the call for papers for our next issue, On Apathy, here. We look forward to your submissions!

Sincerely,

The Process Editors

From Life to Death: Death and Dying Beliefs of the Yoruba

Temilorun Akinola

In this essay, Temilorun Akinola claims that a review of the Yoruba worldview surrounding death and dying is vital in demonstrating how cultures may display congruence with current knowledge on death and dying practices while also highlighting differences in cultural patterns.

Keywords: death, dying, Yoruba, culture