Who's afraid of the dead? Archaeology, modernity and the death taboo

Abstract

Archaeologists have often taken it for granted that death is a taboo topic in modern society. However, the fear of death hypothesis is contested within the social sciences, so does it still follow that the display of the ancient dead is in some way shameful or unacceptable? In this paper it is argued that death is not taboo and that modern death scholars use archaeological source material as a way to understand the subtlety of the human experience. Funerary archaeology is not a dangerous topic; rather it makes a very real and valuable contribution to modern society, providing one of the few ways that people can experience a corpse and so explore their own mortality and with it their place within the larger human story.

Archaeologists on contemporary death

“…4. Museum displays and media representations reveal the complex ambivalence, contested nature and popular appeal of the ancient dead in contemporary society, providing not only scientific knowledge about the human past but also informing attitudes towards death and the dead (Giles, 2009;Jenkins, 2010;Sayer, 2010aSayer, , 2010b). 5.…”

“…Archaeologists are key stakeholders in current ethical, political and legal debates concerning death and the dead in contemporary society, including conflicts over claims for the repatriation and reburial of human remains and related artefacts kept in museums and archaeological research collections (e.g. Moshenska, 2008;Sayer, 2010aSayer, , 2010b; see Krmpotich, 2011).…”

Bowls, Bobbins and Bones. Resolving the Human Remains Crisis in British Archaeology: A Response

“…This is a profoundly more troubling situation than an academic discussion of cremation. If the public cannot see their dead or participate in understanding our past, they are separated from the process and will quite naturally become suspicious about what is going on behind the screens -as they have already become with crematoria and autopsies (Sayer 2010b). This distance will result in questions about the ethics of excavation and the situation will escalate.…”

“…For example, it has often been said by archaeologists that death is taboo in the modern West. However, this is simply not the case -people talk about death, they read about it and they deal with it differently according to their own social positions, but they also enjoy visiting museums and exhibitions which focus on the corpse (Sayer, 2010b). By contrast, the term 'morbid curiosity' has become a way for the archaeological literature to describe a sinister voyeurism in those uninitiated into the archaeological arts (Simpson & Sayer, forthcoming), but as an expression all it actually means is 'interest in death' so why do we use it in this way?…”

‘The Island of Blood’: death and commemoration at the Isle of Man TT Races

“…These memorials allow an insight into the innate tensions between personal, community and official narratives and perceptions at the event, and perhaps more significantly have applicability to sport generally. In related disciplines scholars have recognized that, as society has become more adept at controlling the manner and circumstance of death, there has been an increased desire to commemorate those deaths which deviate from the established 'norm', particularly where the 'norms' become negated when death occurs suddenly, unexpectedly or violently, compelling mourners to find new mechanisms for closure (Collins and Rhine 2003;Howarth 2007; although see Sayer 2010). The resultant 'memorial mania' reflects an inherent shift in contemporary attitudes towards death and dying that has seen a movement away from death-negating practices towards rituals that emphasize public mourning (Doss 2008;Howarth 2007), but also reflects an increasing dissatisfaction with established forms of religious expression and 'The Island of Blood' 249 ritual (Clark and Franzmann 2006).…”