Description
Situated in a constant dynamic struggle between traditional cultural customs and modern legislation, funerary practices in Serbia represent a particularly interesting field of research. In this study, Pavicevic combines an investigation of long-term developments and recent changes to place contemporary practices in their wider historical context, emphasizing the complicated geo-political, demographic and cultural factors that have shaped funeral traditions in Serbia over time. In particular, she demonstrates how the country's frequent changing of borders and life under the rule of two great empires - the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman - fostered the emergence of colorful funerary traditions, such as open-casket burial and vigils around the body, that persist to this day in spite of government attempts to modernize funerary practice since the end of the 19th century. The book also provides illuminating insights into the legal framework surrounding current funerary practices in Serbia, the relationship between the state and private sectors, the ownership of cemeteries and gravesites, the role of churches and religious communities, religious and ethnic variations in funerary culture and traditions, and the development of modern cremation practices in Serbia.
This book provides a useful and original resource for policymakers and practitioners interested in the historic, legal, technical and professional aspects of the Serbian funerary industry, and to researchers in cultural anthropology, history, sociology and cultural management.
About the Author
Aleksandra Pavicevic is a Principal Fellow in the Institute of Ethnography at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade. She is the author of From Mystery to Spectacle: Essays on Death in Serbia from the 19th-21st Century (2015) and has published in numerous scholarly journals.
Book Information
ISBN 9781787691827
Author Aleksandra Pavicevic
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Emerald Publishing Limited
Publisher Emerald Publishing Limited
Weight(grams) 220g