What is the Burying our Differences Project?
With this project, I wish to draw attention to the different ways in which migrant-origin families deal with the death of a loved one, particularly regarding the arrangements for funerals and memorials.
Times like this can be very difficult for any family, but migrant-origin families can have some especially difficult decisions to make. For example, whether to repatriate their loved one and strengthen ties to the place of origin, or to lay down permanent roots in Britain by conducting burials and other funeral rites here. Other difficult decisions might include:
- Finding a funeral director who will be sensitive to the needs of the family and respect religious and cultural traditions.
- Dealing with local councils, health professionals and other authorities regarding the legal and administrative aspects of the funeral.
- Designing a headstone or memorial which reflects their loved one’s connections to different parts of the world.
The decisions that families take about where to bury their loved ones or what kind of funeral to have can say a lot about how they feel about their identity.
In the project I explore decisions around death and diversity for migrant-origin populations in Britain and France. Primarily I am working with Muslim communities, but I am also interested in the perspectives of other religious and ethnic minorities.
The project is funded by the British Academy and Mairie de Paris (Paris City Council) and will run from January 2015 to December 2018.