Remember Me. The Changing Face of Memorialisation
Award Number
AH/M008398/1Programme
Research GrantStatus / Stage
CompletedDates
2 November 2015 -14 June 2018
Duration (calculated)
02 years 07 monthsFunder(s)
AHRCFunding Amount
£669,874.00Funder/Grant study page
AHRCContracted Centre
University of HullPrincipal Investigator
Margaret Louise HollowayWHO Catergories
Models across the continuum of careTools and methodologies for interventions
Disease Type
Dementia (Unspecified)CPEC Review Info
| Reference ID | 810 |
|---|---|
| Researcher | Reside Team |
| Published | 24/07/2023 |
Data
| Award Number | AH/M008398/1 |
|---|---|
| Status / Stage | Completed |
| Start Date | 20151102 |
| End Date | 20180614 |
| Duration (calculated) | 02 years 07 months |
| Funder/Grant study page | AHRC |
| Contracted Centre | University of Hull |
| Funding Amount | £669,874.00 |
Abstract
A considerable body of material continues to explore the changing face of death in the 21st century, amongst which is growing evidence of new and diverse forms of memorialisation as people mark the passing of those to whom they felt a close association in life – colleagues, friends and public figures as well as family members. This evidence, much of it anecdotal and in the popular media, raises new questions concerning the content, meanings and purposes of memorials and the process of memorialisation. As traditional forms are replaced or supplemented by personalised, customised responses, it appears that these lay bare the fundamental human urge to memorialise but with little to guide mourners, or those professionals and community representatives supporting them, in developing forms which will meet those deepest needs. This research will comprehensively analyse memorialisation practices in the UK, past and present, subjecting this to some international comparison, in order to inform understanding of: (i) the significance of memorials and memorialising processes today and throughout history and their relative significance at different points in time; (ii) the purposes and meanings which they fulfil today, the social effects observed in the past and the factors and contexts which shape these purposes, meanings and social effects; (iii) their forms and representations, past and present, and how and why these may be changing in contemporary society. Particular focus will be on: the role of religion; the context, understandings and practices of contemporary humanistic spiritualities; the significance of personal meaning-making; socio-economic and cultural variations and the development of cultural ‘scripts’; the ways in which personal experiences and perspectives interface with social trends. We have identified 4 emergent tensions, about which we have currently little understanding nor have fashioned a response: tensions arising from an identity for the deceased which is contested between mourners; where the representation of the deceased and their life is shrouded in ambiguity; where forms which are permanent or forms which are transitory may variously be problematic; where there is conflict or dissonance between the public and private domains.
Using historical, ethnographic, visual and other qualitative methods, the project will undertake two surveys of literature, media and internet sources, one embedded historical case study, two free-standing strands, and four contemporary case studies. The surveys will separately and together draw up accounts of memorial practices in the distant and more recent past and the contemporary scene, seeking to understand the influences of the past on the present, the features of memorialisation which are enduring and those in which we are seeing rapid change. Analysis from the surveys will inform the conduct of the remainder of the study. The photographic strand will examine the significance of the photograph in mourning and remembering through history as well as contemporary proliferations through devices such as the mobile phone. The free-writing strand will examine the growing practice in hospices of encouraging free-writing from bereaved relatives, such as in creating ‘bereavement trees’ or communal memorial books, which serve as ever-growing memorials and the focus for both personal and shared mourning and remembering. The four case studies, exploring memorialisation in the military, among Polish migrants in Hull, the transgender population, and the hidden face of dementia, will further explicate the four tensions identified above. Each element of the study will report separately and produce a range of outputs for academic, professional and public audiences and be brought together in an overarching analysis culminating in the final report and an exhibition.
Aims
This research will comprehensively analyse memorialisation practices in the UK, past and present, subjecting this to some international comparison, in order to inform understanding of: (i) the significance of memorials and memorialising processes today and throughout history and their relative significance at different points in time; (ii) the purposes and meanings which they fulfil today, the social effects observed in the past and the factors and contexts which shape these purposes, meanings and social effects; (iii) their forms and representations, past and present, and how and why these may be changing in contemporary society.