Death in the Early Twenty-first Century
Authority, Innovation, and Mortuary Rites
Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Anthropology
| Author: | ISBN: | 9783319523651 | |
| Publisher: | Springer International Publishing | Publication: | July 18, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Palgrave Macmillan | Language: | English |
| Author: | |
| ISBN: | 9783319523651 |
| Publisher: | Springer International Publishing |
| Publication: | July 18, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Language: | English |
Focusing on tradition, technology, and authority, this volume challenges classical understandings that mortuary rites are inherently conservative. The contributors examine innovative and enduring ideas and practices of death, which reflect and constitute changing patterns of social relationships, memorialisation, and the afterlife. This cross-cultural study examines the lived experiences of men and women from societies across the globe with diverse religious heritages and secular value systems. The book demonstrates that mortuary practices are not fixed forms, but rather dynamic processes negotiated by the dying, the bereaved, funeral experts, and public institutions. In addition to offering a new theoretical perspective on the anthropology of death, this work provides a rich resource for readers interested in human responses to mortality: the one certainty of human existence.
Focusing on tradition, technology, and authority, this volume challenges classical understandings that mortuary rites are inherently conservative. The contributors examine innovative and enduring ideas and practices of death, which reflect and constitute changing patterns of social relationships, memorialisation, and the afterlife. This cross-cultural study examines the lived experiences of men and women from societies across the globe with diverse religious heritages and secular value systems. The book demonstrates that mortuary practices are not fixed forms, but rather dynamic processes negotiated by the dying, the bereaved, funeral experts, and public institutions. In addition to offering a new theoretical perspective on the anthropology of death, this work provides a rich resource for readers interested in human responses to mortality: the one certainty of human existence.
