This paper aimed to discuss the processes of normalization and sociomedical management of death in contemporary societies, from analysis on the transformations in social perceptions of death that occurred in between 1960 and 1970, and on palliative care practices as a model for managing the end of life. From Michel Foucault's notion of normalization of conduct, we made a critical analysis on the concept of "good death" as one of the main mechanisms aimed at regulating this new medical practice. Finally, we outlined some care concepts for which singular "modes of subjectivation" are the reference points, founded on relationships based on alterity that enable the creation of a potential space in which to live and die.
Palliative care; Subjectivity; Death; Public Health