{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T15:13:23Z","timestamp":1788362003773,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Omega (Westport)"],"abstract":"<jats:p>India has 46.4 million widows, the highest number globally, with thousands migrating to Vrindavan, the \u201cCity of Widows,\u201d where they experience systematic social exclusion and marginalization (Loomba Foundation, 2015; Pathak &amp; Tripathi, 2016). This study examines the socio-psychological, cultural, and economic problems faced by widows in Vrindavan through the lens of social death theory (Goffman, 1963; Kastenbaum, 1977). A convergent parallel mixed-methods design (Creswell &amp; Plano Clark, 2017) employed structured interviews (N = 258) and qualitative case narratives. Participants were selected via stratified random sampling from government-run ashrams (n = 101), NGO-run ashrams (n = 56), and rented accommodations (n = 101). Quantitative data were analyzed using chi-square tests, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun &amp; Clarke, 2006). Integration occurred at the interpretation stage using a weaving approach (Fetters et al., 2013). All respondents reported experiencing stigma (100%); 93.8% received no family visitors; 98.8% reported self-reported psychological symptoms; and 71.7% had no pension. Economic independence was significantly associated with spending capacity (\u03c72 = 126.502, df = 3, p &lt; .001). Education was associated with lower levels of self-reported depressive symptoms (\u03c72 = 19.019, df = 20, p = .021). Qualitative thematic analysis revealed four key themes: (1) The Family as Site of Danger, (2) Internalized Stigma and Self-Exclusion, (3) Institutional Care and Its Limits, and (4) Resilience amid Social Exclusion. Widows in Vrindavan experience systematic social exclusion before biological death through four mechanisms: ritual degradation, spatial exclusion, affective abandonment, and economic destitution. The study extends social death theory by demonstrating that social erasure is a cumulative process rather than a binary state, and that cultural stigma operates independently of economic status. Policy interventions for pension coverage, mental health support, legal awareness, and dignified care are urgently needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00302228261484440","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T18:40:26Z","timestamp":1788201626000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Living Death in the City of Widows: A Mixed-Methods Study of Social Death, Stigma, and Abandonment Among Older Widows in Vrindavan, India"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1139-2838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tekmal","family":"Solmanraj","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Sociology Department, QIS College of Engineering & Technology"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_6_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Agarwal B. (2001 November). Gender and land revisited: Exploring new prospects via the state family and market [Paper presentation]. UNRISD conference on agrarian reform Geneva Switzerland. Agarwal B. (2002 November 2\u20133). Gender and land rights revisited: Exploring new prospects via the state family and market [Paper presentation]. UNRISD Conference on Agrarian Reform Geneva Switzerland. unrisd.org.","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0366.00054"},{"issue":"10","key":"e_1_3_6_3_1","first-page":"69","article-title":"Contemporary social position of widowhood among rural and urban area special reference to Dindigul district","volume":"2","author":"Anji A.","year":"2013","unstructured":"Anji A., Velumani K. (2013). Contemporary social position of widowhood among rural and urban area special reference to Dindigul district. 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