Routledge International Focus on Death and Funeral Practices

Death Studies is an international and interdisciplinary endeavour and encompasses an interest in all mortality-related themes. This series of shortform books provides essential information on death and funeral practices in countries throughout the world.

Creating a common framework for understanding funeral rituals rests on definition and the description of processes, events and rituals which ostensibly appear the same but in actuality are markedly different, country to country. Each book has the same basic structure, which incorporates:

• historic, contextual background to understand how funeral practices have developed;
• burial and cremation rates, and change over time;
• an outline of key legislation guiding death registration, the funeral industry and cemetery and crematorium provision;
• what happens in the event of a death;
• an overview of the funeral industry including the ways in which funeral directing services are delivered and the balance of state/private involvement in funeral directing business;
• the cost of funerals and how they are paid for;
• church involvement in funerals and arrangements made for minority religious groups;
• a full and detailed description of a typical funeral;
• the provision of cemetery and crematorium services;
• patterns of commemoration

Fully referenced, and supported by relevant images, figures and tables, books in the series provide an essential research resource on practices, the law, and funeral-related procedures around the world. Collectively, the series provides an invaluable framework for international comparison.