The social construction of suicide in Libyan society

Eljadei, EO

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore how the suicide act is constructed and evaluated in Libyan
society. The methodology includes an analysis of 172 prosecutors' files covering the period
from 2000 to 2009 which exist in the sub-public prosecution departments. These concern
cases of those who succeeded in committing suicide and of those who tried to commit
suicide but were unsuccessful. The study also includes semi-structured interviews with
officials (including prosecutors, law enforcement officers and medical practitioners) in order
to examine and explain the part played by officials in the social construction of suicide.
Findings indicate there are distinct ways in which suicide in Libya is socially constructed
and this varies depending upon the perspectives of officials, witnesses and the person who
has taken their life. The current study reveals important factors which are trusted by officials
to inform their decisions about suicide verdicts. These include:- medical evidence, the
crime's theatre, witnesses' statements, mode of death, the biography of the deceased, suicide
notes and threats to commit suicide, and finger prints.
The interpretation of suicide by officials may be summarised by the following themes: -
life's problems, religious weakness, psychological illnesses, and escaping from the current
situation.
Witnesses construe the meaning of suicide along the following lines:- study problems,
physical illnesses, religion, psychological illnesses, self blame, and escape from current
situation. However, for those who have taken their life or attempted to take it, suicide may
be evaluated in terms of the following themes - self blaming, frustration, escape, emotional
blackmail, and revenge.
An important theme of the thesis is to demonstrate that people construct the meaning of
suicide according to the cultural contexts they are placed in. The examination of such
constructions has the potential to reflect broader social anxieties in a particular society such
as the role of religious knowledge in a secular state.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2021
• Award Date: Nov 1, 2012