Columbia University Seminar on Death
"The Escutcheon of Death"
from "The Dance of Death" (1538), by Hans Holbein
from "The Dance of Death" (1538), by Hans Holbein
The Seminar hosts a biennial conference on a chosen topic related to its general area of focus. In honor of the Seminar's well-respected and well-remembered founder, the conference is designated the Austin H. Kutscher Memorial Conference.
Programs of past conferences, with lists of speakers and paper titles, can be found at the links below. Announcements regarding upcoming conferences, including topics, dates, Calls for Papers, and the scheduled conference program and registration information, when available, can also be found below. Please check this page for updates on plans for future conferences. All conferences are inter-disciplinary and proposal submissions are encouraged from all interested participants.
Selected papers from the first two Kutscher Memorial Conferences have been published. Selected papers and related contributed articles in conjunction with the 2012 Austin H. Kutscher conference will be published in 2013. See below for references.
March 24, 2012: Reshaping Our Journey to the End: Death, Dying, and Bereavement in the 21st Century
March 20, 2010: Unequal Before Death
March 29, 2008: The Pulse of Death Now
Our Changing Journey to the End: The New Realities and Controversies of Dying in America (2 vols.)
Selected Papers and Articles in conjunction with the 2012 Austin H. Kutscher Memorial Conference: "Reshaping Our Journey to the End: Death, Dying, and Bereavement in the 21st Century"
[Forthcoming from ABC-CLIO (Praeger Publishers) in 2013]
Unequal Before Death
(Selected Papers from the 2010 Austin H. Kutscher Memorial Conference: "Unequal Before Death")
Christina Staudt and Marcelline Block, Editors
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, June, 2012
The Many Ways We Talk About Death in Contemporary Society: Interdisciplinary Studies in Portrayal and Classification
(Selected Papers from the 2008 Austin H. Kutscher Memorial Conference: "The Pulse of Death Now")
Margaret Souza and Christina Staudt, Editors; Foreword by Lesley Sharp
Edwin Mellen Press, October, 2009