Week 9 Lecture Flashcards
Memory, Memorialization and Social Change
Where can death be found in public?
- street names
- names of buildings
- memorial plaques
- museums
Meaning-making
The process through which individuals and groups seek to make sense of loss and death, their relationship to the dead, and their lives after a loss
Examples serve to reconnect the dead to the living, not to deny the death but to preserve the memory of the lost life
War memorials
space for memory among the bereaved and broader community
teaches about history
trasmits cultural values: sacrifice, bravery etc.
Official memorial
focused on famous or influential individuals may memorialize victims of conflict or atrocity
can be important for healing, challenging myths, preventing denial
94 calls to action
Monument for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls
means to transmit history
informal memorial
- Memorials created for people in public spaces
- Created by families, those directly affected
- Helps raise awareness, inspire action
Grief Activism
Use of public mourning and memorialization to contest, raise awareness about unjust deaths, pursue social change
ex. 2020 protests following killing of Geroge Floyd
Public mourning
Assets personhood, humanity of the dead and resistance to oppressive social dynamics that dehumanize people and disenfranchised grief
3 tasks associated with funeral rituals
Disposition of the body of the deceased in appropriate ways
Contribute to making real implications of the death
Assist in reintegration and meaningful ongoing living
Funeral cost
2000-5000$ for cremation
5000-25000$ for full service + burial
Cremation
cremation is the use of fire to reduce the body and its container to ash
Embalming
embalming is the semi-surgical process that replaces body fluids with liquid chemicals
Capitalism in Death Care Industry
myths about dead bodies and taboos related to contamination increase the demand for expensive services like embalming
What type of industry is Funeral Services?
Lucrative (profitable)
Green or Natural Burial Practices
Only biodegradable materials are used
Casket made of wood, bamboo, wicker
No embalming, no cremation
Estimated cost of 3000-5000$
