Death, Memory and Material Culture

by Elizabeth Hallam

- How do the living maintain ongoing relationships with the dead in Western societies? - How have the residual belongings of the dead been used to evoke memories? - Why has the body and its material environment remained so important in memory-making? Objects, images, practices, and places remind us of the deaths of others and of our own mortality. At the time of death, embodied persons disappear from view, their relationships with others come under threat and their influence may cease. Emotionally, socially, politically, much is at stake at the time of death. In this context, memories and memory-making can be highly charged, and often provide the dead with a social presence amongst the living. Memories of the dead are a bulwark against the terror of forgetting, as well as an inescapable outcome of a life's ending. Objects in attics, gardens, museums, streets and cemeteries can tell us much about the processes of remembering. This unusual and absorbing book develops perspectives in anthropology and cultural history to reveal the importance of material objects in experiences of grief, mourning and memorializing. Far from being ‘invisible', the authors show how past generations, dead friends and lovers remain manifest - through well-worn garments, letters, photographs, flowers, residual drops of perfume, funerary sculpture. Tracing the rituals, gestures and materials that have been used to shape and preserve memories of personal loss, Hallam and Hockey show how material culture provides the deceased with a powerful presence within the here and now.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Theory

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a student of anthropology and bioarchaeology, this text is a fantastic place to become acquainted with past and current literature addressing materiality and memory. It is dense in information and sometimes repetitive, but overall provides a great introduction into material objects, spaces, and embodied practices relating to death, both within historic and contemporary contexts.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that talks about how Death and Memory are linked to Material Culture, than this is a book you should read. It is a more academic book, so if you are not interested in books that have heavy research citations, then this is not the book for you. It is still accessible though. Each chapter is well thought out and connected. It is definitely a must read for anyone interested in Death Studies.

[Milo Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent introductory book that provides a long list of jumping-off points for study. Extremely beginner-friendly, but it doesn't stand alone well. This book is a good way to start a course of reading, or to inspire one to read more.

[Geof Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 This book had the absolute best typo ever: "The cross at Calgary."

#2 Even in 2000, it was not ok to say "travelling Gypsies." A) it is anthropologically incorrect and these are anthropologists and B) OOOOOOOF!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another promising title with a text that isn't worthy of it.