ABSTRACT
On 4 February 2002 the Swedish television network TV4 broadcast live a farewell ceremony for a female student of social work; Fadime Sahindal (TV4 2002). Although the deceased held no official position in Swedish society the ceremony was held in the major cathedral of the Church of Sweden and, close to the coffin, were representatives from the royal family, the government, county and municipality. Why did the death of this woman result in what was close to a state funeral? How were sentiments and notions of nationality and death made meaningful in the broadcast? These are some of the queries in this chapter which takes Fadime’s Farewell ceremony as the basis for discussing death and memorialization in relation to constructions of nationality.
