ABSTRACT
In previous chapters we have argued that the body stands in a more complex relationship with the production and experience of social identity than many theorists have acknowledged. In this and the following chapter we present two case studies, one contemporary and one from the early modern period, both of which provide detailed accounts of social negotiations taking place at the site of the dead body. Via readings of the body in life, each of these cases demonstrates how retrospective interpretations are made as to the cause, circumstances and nature of the death which has taken place. They provide clear insight into the ways in which changes in the body, which might seem unequivocal-the living body is now dead —are, in reality, open to processes of intense negotiation and indeed contestation. In both cases, we see social hierarchies based on gendered and professional sources of power in operation. Beginning with this chapter, we provide a detailed case study of the workings of the coroner’s court, based on a study begun in 1993 of the coroner system in three distinct geographical regions of England. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with coroners, their officers, police officers, bereaved families, and other expert and lay witnesses. Lengthy courtroom observations were also undertaken (Howarth, 1997:145). This is then set alongside the following chapter’s historical material which provides an analysis of witnesses’ accounts from the Church courts in Canterbury between 1580 and 1640 (Hallam, 1994). These accounts were recorded in court during the proceedings of legal action, taken when wills were disputed, and, as we go on to show, contained detailed descriptions of the deathbed since it was regarded as the most important site for confirming the last wishes of the person.
