SOAN 235 - Anthropology of Death

FDR: SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution
Credits: 3

Death is of course universal - it is appointed for all once to “die” - but cultural understandings of death vary enormously. This course provides an overview of death practices from prehistory to the present. Discussion covers diverse beliefs in the afterlife, the nature of the soul, and proper dispositions of the body. Readings include archaeological studies of funerary practices in European prehistory, ethnographic accounts of belief and behavior in diverse cultures throughout the world, classic anthropological theories of how funerary ceremonies articulate with social relations, and journalistic representations of contemporary American practices - including the rise in cremation, green burials, celebratory funerals, idiosyncratic gravestones, and online memorials.