The Future of the Corpse

Changing Ecologies of Death and Disposition

Karla Rothstein, Christina Staudt, Karla Rothstein, Christina Staudt

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781440869051
• eBook ISBN: 9798216088394
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sustainability in Architecture
• Index: Social Sciences

This book reviews the spectrum of death, from when the living person turns to corpse until the person lives in the memory of mourners, and its impact on the ecology of the socio-cultural community and physical environment. This book demonstrates that American society today is in a pivotal period for re-imaging end-of-life care, funerary services, human disposition methods, memorializing, and mourning. The editors and contributors outline the past, present, and future of death care rituals, pointing to promising new practices and innovative projects that show how we can better integrate the dying and dead with the living and create positive change that supports sustainable stewardship of our environment. Individual chapters describe prevailing practices and issues in different settings where people die and in postmortem rituals; disposition and current ecologically and, in urban areas, spatially unsustainable methods; law of human remains; customs and trends among key stakeholders, such as cemeteries and funeral directors; and relevant technological advances. The book culminates in a presentation of emerging sustainable disposition technologies and innovative designs for proposed public memorial projects that respond to shifting values, beliefs, and priorities among an increasingly diverse population.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Figures
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: History and Background: How Our American Burial Traditions Emerged
• Chapter 2: Corpse Preservation and Final Disposition Methods: Impact on Urban Centers and the Environment
• Chapter 3: From Deathbed to Morgue: “Rebooting” the System
• Chapter 4: Redirecting Funeral Rituals and Mourning Practices
• Chapter 5: Modernizing the Law of Human Remains: Challenges and Opportunities
• Chapter 6: Nature versus Culture: Shifting Values in American Cemeteries
• Chapter 7: Rethinking the Role of the Funeral Director
• Chapter 8: Digital Tools: Grieving through Screens
• Chapter 9: A Covenant among Generations: Keeping Trust in the Republic and the Law
• Chapter 10: New Mortuary Technologies and Memorial Designs
• Onward
• Essential References
• About the Editors and Contributors
• Index