Any sentence that begins 'All societies have' is either baseless or banal. Oliver Nahm sets out to disprove this statement, made by the renowned anthropologist Clifford Geertz. Analyzing the beliefs, myths, and legends of different religious groups surrounding death and dying, author Nahm shows that behind the fa ? ade of diversity there lie the same needs which are in turn met by similar solutions. With an interdisciplinary approach, Nahm uncovers important commonalities between diverse societies and demonstrates that such findings are neither baseless nor banal. Dissertation. (Series: Studies in interdisciplinary Thanatology / Studien zur interdisziplinaeren Thanatologie, Vol. 14) Subject: Cultural Studies, Sociology, Death Studies, Religious Studies]