Dismantling the boundaries between life and death

Abstract

This paper explores some of the ways in which the conceptual boundaries between the living and the dead - once assumed to be as stark and solid as the walls around the asylums and prisons - are becoming blurred and are breaking down. It argues that the continuing relationships between bereaved people and their deceased relatives and friends are not new but have been marginalised by the discourses and practices of modernity. There are, however, new ways of remembering and the discussion will explore some of the mechanisms used by survivors who seeks to maintain bonds with their dead. The paper will then show that dead or, rather, dying individuals, actively encourage this continuing relationship by finding ways of reconstituting themselves after death. The conclusion will critically examine the concept of the 'new model' of grief, arguing that models inevitably become prescriptive.

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