Seven: The aftermath of death

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One of the points this book is trying to get across is that beliefs and practices surrounding death and dying are in a state of flux. Possibly one of the areas which is changing most is our approach to marking the end of life. Funerals, and all that surrounds them, are increasingly the subject of comment and debate and it seems that very little is as predetermined as may have been the case for previous generations. In order to make some sense of the burgeoning literature, both scholarly and popular, and to consider the implications of these changes for professionals working alongside people affected by a recent (and maybe not so recent) death, it may be helpful to separate out the various processes and events.

First, we are dealing with a number of public events (even the private ceremony is to some extent a public event), principally the funeral, burial, cremation and memorial service or gathering. Second, these events are controlled by society through legislation, municipal policies and cultural norms. The body must be formally released for burial, and there are controls on where it may be buried and what sort of memorial may be erected.1 The celebrant, whether a religious minister or secular officiant, will be guided by their own tradition and culture as to the content of the funeral. Particular religions may have rules about the timing of burial and preparation of the body. Third, the events through which we mark and deal with the end of life are constructed as social acts and to a large extent circumscribed by a mixture of cultural requirement and social convention.

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