Suicidology as a social practice.

Abstract

Suicide has long been the subject of philosophical, literary, theological, and cultural-historical inquiry. But despite the diversity of disciplinary and methodological approaches that have been brought to bear in the study of suicide, we argue that the formal study of suicide, that is, suicidology, is characterised by intellectual, organisational, and professional values that distinguish it from other ways of thinking and knowing. Further, we suggest that considering suicidology as a ‘social practice’ offers ways to usefully conceptualise its epistemological, philosophical, and practical norms. This work develops the idea of suicidology as a social practice and considers the implications for research, practice and public discourse. Keywords: Suicide, suicidology, social practice, ethics