Alternative Memorials: Death and Memory in Contemporary America
Loading...
Date
2010-09
Authors
Dobler, Robert, 1980-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Alternative forms of memorialization offer a sense of empowerment to the
mourner, bringing the act of grieving into the personal sphere and away from the clinical
or official realm of funeral homes and cemeteries. Constructing a spontaneous shrine
allows a mourner to create a meaningful narrative of the deceased's life, giving structure
and significance to a loss that may seem chaotic or meaningless in the immediate
aftermath. These vernacular memorials also function as focal points for continued communication with the departed and interaction with a community of mourners that
blurs distinctions between public and private spheres. I focus my analysis on MySpace
pages that are transformed into spontaneous memorials in the wake of a user's death, the
creation of "ghost bikes" at the sites of fatal bicycle-automobile collisions, and memorial
tattooing, exploring the ways in which these practices are socially constructed
innovations on the traditional material forms of mourning culture.
Description
x, 89 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Keywords
Death, Memory, Mourning customs, Spontaneous memorials, MySpace.com