“Han tyckte ju inte om krusiduller!” En kulturanalytisk studie om samtida planering och utformande av begravningar

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discuss contemporary tendencies in the planning and designing of funerals from the perspective of funeral directors. We have executed interviews with eight funeral directors in Gothenburg and analysedthe produced material withsociologist TonyWaltersthreeidealtypes: traditional, modern and neo-modern death as our theoretical framework. What we find is that when designinga funeral today in contemporary Sweden there are many factors in play, but the one which is clearest in our material is the neo-modern individual’s trust in the authority of the self and their dependency onthe professionalised knowledge of the funeral directors and otherrelevantinstitutions.