Cultural influence in migrants' negotiation of death. The case of retired migrants in Spain
Author: Caroline Oliver
Source: Mortality, Volume 9, Number 3, August 2004 , pp. 235-254(20)
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Abstract:
This article addresses the negotiation of alternative systems of disposal and memorialization in a migrant context. Focusing upon the reactions, attitudes and choices of retired Northern European migrants following or in preparation for death in Spain, it examines the ways in which a different cultural context can present both challenges and new possibilities for the personal management of death. Using empirical material from ethnographic research amongst migrants in Spain, it draws attention to how one's cultural background influences the negotiation of different bureaucratic systems, customs of disposal (including 'above-ground' burial) and alternative memorial practices. The article draws attention to how death in migration can be read not only as an opportunity for the expression of group identities but can facilitate the expression of personal values. Depending on strength of kinship ties and claimed belonging to Spain, foreign cultural customs, whilst strange and alien for some, can also be interpreted by other migrants as new cultural material for displaying post-mortem identities.Keywords: Migration; Spain; expatriates; cultural influence; death; disposal
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1080/13576270412331272770
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