Going to Funerals in Contemporary Britain:The Individual, the Family and the Meeting with Death

摘要: This thesis documents mourners’ experiences of funerals in contemporary Britain, and considers the implications these for an understanding funerals’ social significance. It represents first time that people, who attend but do not contribute to their planning, have been taken into account analysis Britain. The data on which draws generated collaboration with Mass-Observation Project, a long-running, large-scale qualitative writing project based at University Sussex. Participants are self-identified ‘ordinary people’ were asked write detail about most recent funeral they had to, as well best worst ever attended. These analysed thematically. argues three previously identified ‘authorities’ over death dying religion/tradition, professional/expert, individual/self fully funerals. By examining ‘doing’ ‘displaying’ family funerals, demonstrates mourners, constitutes further authority funeral. Among other themes, significance speakers own authenticity drawn then argue Davies’ theorisation ‘words against death’ needs take only what is done does it; also ‘people relationships death’.