Sue Adamson

Negotiating sensitivities and grappling with intangibles: experiences from a study of spirituality and funerals

This article discusses the methodological issues encountered in an AHRC funded study conducted between October 2008 and March 2010. The project used qualitative methods to explore the ways in which mourners sought, ascribed and expressed meaning through the funeral and analysed these processes in relation to evidence of religion and a broader spirituality. The research involved case studies of 46 funerals, and 29 interviews with professionals involved in the funeral industry. Each case study comprised: observation of pre-funeral meetings between families and funeral directors and celebrants; observation of the funeral; and a post-funeral focused interview with the bereaved person(s). The article considers ethical and practical factors in conducting research around a sensitive event where participants may be vulnerable. It describes the analysis process of data obtained concerning religious and other beliefs and comments on the value and difficulties of a multidisciplinary approach.

A sound track of your life: music in contemporary UK funerals.

This article considers the role that music plays in contemporary UK funerals and the meaning that the funeral music has for bereaved families. It is based on findings from a recently completed study of 46 funerals funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. Music contributes to the public ceremony and the personal existential quest of the bereaved. It is important to both the content and process of the contemporary funeral, an event of deep cultural significance in our response as individuals and communities to death and the loss of a significant relationship. There is evidence that for many people, the music chosen and used also evokes and conveys their spirituality. Spirituality may not be intrinsic to the music but spiritual experience may result from the meaning that the music has for that particular person.

Symbols and Symbolism in the Funeral Today

Abstract Funerals today are noted for their emphasis on the celebration of the life of the deceased and for personalizing touches reflecting the wishes and choices of the family. These elements typically evoke memories of the deceased person or represent aspects of their life and personality. Celebrants also use images and motifs, such as light, to convey abstract ideas which may not be accessible directly to mourners and to assist in confronting the pain and challenge of death. Both religious and humanist celebrants draw on the language and images of their faith or philosophy as well as incorporating elements requested by the family to construct the funeral service. This article draws on the findings of a qualitative study, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, looking at spirituality in contemporary funerals, to argue that, taken together, these representations constitute a rich array of symbols and use of symbolism. The article concludes that these contemporary symbols and symbolic behaviours fulfil the same purposes and function in the same way as traditional religious symbolism and are core to a new spirituality around death which is emerging in the twenty-first century.