This thesis examines the failings in environmental-ethics present in the United States funeral industry, focusing on the lack of environmental ethical guidelines at an industrial and policy level. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach through the lenses of environmental science, philosophical ethical considerations surrounding policy-based advocacy and ecocritical approaches to the concepts of reciprocity and harm reduction, this thesis makes recommendations to close the gaps in environmental ethical oversight. Focus is placed on mitigation of environmental harms resulting from changes in policy and legislation, and in-industry oversight, with an emphasis on the support of ecologically beneficial methods of the disposition of human remains. / Master of Arts / The funeral industry in the United States has developed in a way that eschews environmental consciousness in the services available to consumers. This thesis examines the historical development of the relationship between the funeral industry and the environment, and the way the rise of the corporate funeral model ignores environmental concerns, as well as presents contemporary environmental issues that impact the industry. Additionally, the thesis explores the gaps regarding environmental impact present in the ethical guidelines the funeral industry adheres to, and the lack of environmental accountability coming from both within the industry and from regulatory bodies and the United States government. Finally, this thesis provides recommendations for the industry, and associated advocacy groups surrounding corrections and policy and practice changes that will support more a more environmentally friendly version of the funeral industry. In this case, environmental friendliness is defined by practices which take pollution impacts into account, as well as consider the sustainability of resource use incurred by both traditional and emergent technologies.

Cemeteries are an integral part of the cityscape, which as a societal function are responsible for the interment of the deceased in a dignified manner. Cemeteries as a space imbued with cultural, historical, religious and emotional significance - as a site for grief, reflection and contemplation they also have a significant physical presence in the city. Cemeteries are a somewhat hidden issue in urban planning in Sweden today, but as a land intensive development that locks the land from future reuse it is paramount that the complexity is examined. The Burial Act (SFS 1990:1144) governs burial practice, services and the organisation structure of cemeteries in Sweden which creates an interesting set of conditions. The thesis investigates future cemetery planning in the context of Gothenburg, Sweden, as the city is faced with a shortage of burial space in the coming decade. Simultaneously, Gothenburg is growing and land for future development is highly contested. This provides motivation for why cemetery planning needs to be understood in an urban context. The thesis will use two case studies, first the case of Järva cemetery in Stockholm as inspiration for cemetery planning in current society and secondly the case of Gothenburg to guide the research regarding how to plan for cemeteries that are socially just. An extensive literature review and interviews with relevant actors, are used to gain knowledge of cemetery planning and the functions of cemeteries in a European context, as well as future trends regarding cemetery planning. The interviews are examined through the themes of physical considerations, qualities of cemeteries, diversity in burial provision and governance. Results of the interviews indicate the multifaceted nature of planning for cemeteries. The method of scenario planning is subsequently utilized as a tool to explore how a future cemetery in Gothenburg can be planned, developed and designed through four possible scenarios - small-peripheral, small-urban, large-urban and large-peripheral. A scenario analysis is carried out using a social justice theoretical framework to illuminate how a socially just cemetery development can be established and potential challenges regarding this. The concepts analysed through the theoretical framework are planning, ownership and management, finance, social infrastructure and environmental impact. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the cemetery scenarios analysis and providing recommendations for future cemetery planning in Gothenburg.

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The crematory funerary rites practiced by those living in parts of mainland Britain during the first millennium AD included burning complete or parts of animals on the pyre. This thesis highlights the potential for archaeozoological analysis of faunal pyre goods using assemblages from the first millennium AD as a dataset. Experimental study and the integration of current research from a number of disciplines is used to suggest that although pyrolysis and cremation practices fragment and distort burnt bone assemblages, careful analysis can reveal a wealth of data leading to the interpretation of various forms of pyre good. The results of the author's analysis of material from the sites of Brougham, Cumbria, St. Stephen's, Hertfordshire, Castleford, West Yorkshire and Heath Wood, Derbyshire are combined with data from other published cemeteries to suggest a series of chronological and regional continuities in the use of animals but with a distinct change at the start of the Early Medieval period. The results from Brougham are particularly significant as they alter preconceived views on the utilisation of animals in Romano-British funerary practice. Cremation burials in first millennium AD Britain are shown to include the burnt remains of predominantly domestic taxa with occasional wild species. The pyre goods are interpreted as representing food offerings, companions, amulets, gaming items and sacrifices. This thesis demonstrates that cremated animal bone should not be disregarded but rather valued as source of archaeozoological data, and a significant functional tool for interpreting past funerary behaviour and animal utilisation.

Cette thèse étudie, dans toute leur complexité et leur variabilité, les pratiques funéraires au sein du territoire de Forum Iulii (commune actuelle de Fréjus), l’une des civitas de la Province de Narbonnaise définie par Auguste à la fin du Ier siècle av. n. è. Il s’inscrit sur une période chronologique longue riche en bouleversements socio-culturels (Ier s.- IVe s. de n.è.), propre à révéler l’évolution de ces pratiques et ainsi d’appréhender la relation qu’entretiennent les individus et/ou les groupes sociaux avec leurs traditions funéraires. Ce cadre spatio-temporel est également choisi pour sa cohérence et sa richesse documentaire. L’étude est basée sur une approche interdisciplinaire,entre archéologie et anthropologie biologique. Les paramètres étudiés, selon cette double perspective, participent conjointement à une lecture individuelle puis globale des sépultures et des ensembles funéraires afin de restituer les pratiques et l’influence des facteurs socio-culturels sur le traitement des morts. Le recours à ces deux disciplines garantit une compréhension optimale des systèmes de représentations sociales propres à une communauté face au décès de l’un de ses membres. L’analyse des restes osseux humains (âge au décès, sexe, état sanitaire), mais également celle des restes matériels (ensemble de dépôts associés, architecture de la sépulture, mode d’implantation traitement du corps, etc.) constituent les outils incontournables de l’archéologie de la mort qui vise alors à contribuer à une meilleure connaissance des populations antiques grâce à une approche bioculturelle. / This study aims to understand, in all their complexity and variability, the funerary practices of the territory of Forum Iulii (Fréjus), one of the civitas of the Gallia Narbonnensis, defined by Auguste at the end of the 1st century. BC. It is part of a long chronological period rich in socio-cultural upheavals (1st-4th century AD), wich reveals the evolution of these practices, and thus allow us to apprehend the relationship between individuals and / or social groups with their funerary traditions. This spatio-temporal framework is also chosen for its coherence and documentary richness. The study is based on an archaeothanatology approach, between archeology and biological anthropology. The studied parameters, considered in the both perspective, participate together in an individual, and then global reading of burials and funerary spaces in order to return practices, funerary rites, but also the influence of socio-cultural factors on the treatment of the dead corpses.The use of these two disciplines insures an optimal understanding of the social systems and religious representations specific to a community confronted with the death of one of its members. The human bones analysis (age and sex determination, health status), but also the study of the material (set of deposits, burial architecture, implantation of the tomb, body’s treatment, etc.) are the essential tools for the archeology of death, which aims to contribute to a better knowledge of ancient populations through a biocultural approach.

In contemporary North America, death is contained within a network of cemeteries, crematoria and funeral homes. Death-space and its associative funeral rituals are both sacred and abject resulting in marginalization that adversely affects how the living understand their mortality. Our perception of death influences our place in the world and funeral ritual facilitates our departure from it. In most cities, the funeral home houses this liminal ritual, while also providing the clinical handling and processing of the deceased body. Investigation of the funeral home and its role within the city addresses how architecture can influence cultural views on death. Through the funeral home there is an opportunity to balance the seemingly opposing narratives of the living and the deceased by bringing them together for the funeral. In the City of Toronto, the density of its diverse neighbourhoods is not reflected by a proportionate number of local funeral homes. This thesis proposes a non-denominational space for funeral ritual and cremation within the dense St. Lawrence Neighbourhood. The placement of the Funeral Centre satisfies the practical requirements of this growing community, while the adjacency to the St. Lawrence Market juxtaposes the vibrancy of the ordinary and the solemnity of the sacred. This proposal extends into a network for the scattering of ashes throughout the city aiming to reconnect people to the realities of their existence.

In contemporary North America, death is contained within a network of cemeteries, crematoria and funeral homes. Death-space and its associative funeral rituals are both sacred and abject resulting in marginalization that adversely affects how the living understand their mortality. Our perception of death influences our place in the world and funeral ritual facilitates our departure from it. In most cities, the funeral home houses this liminal ritual, while also providing the clinical handling and processing of the deceased body. Investigation of the funeral home and its role within the city addresses how architecture can influence cultural views on death. Through the funeral home there is an opportunity to balance the seemingly opposing narratives of the living and the deceased by bringing them together for the funeral. In the City of Toronto, the density of its diverse neighbourhoods is not reflected by a proportionate number of local funeral homes. This thesis proposes a non-denominational space for funeral ritual and cremation within the dense St. Lawrence Neighbourhood. The placement of the Funeral Centre satisfies the practical requirements of this growing community, while the adjacency to the St. Lawrence Market juxtaposes the vibrancy of the ordinary and the solemnity of the sacred. This proposal extends into a network for the scattering of ashes throughout the city aiming to reconnect people to the realities of their existence.

Cremated bone occurs in many archaeological sites as small grey and white fragments. The high temperatures reached during heating induce structural, chemical and isotopic changes to bone apatite (the inorganic fraction of bone). These changes are investigated here by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (d13C, d18O and 87Sr/86Sr) in both modern heated bone and archaeological cremated specimens. The results of various heating experiments (in laboratory and natural conditions) highlight the significant carbon and oxygen exchanges with the fuel used as well as with bone organic matter (mainly collagen). While not informing on dietary practice and hydrology as is the case with unburned bone, the d13C and d18O values of calcined samples together with infrared results provide information on the conditions in which the bone was heated (e.g. presence of fuel, size of the pyre, temperatures reached, dry or fresh bone, etc.). In parallel, the effect of heat on the strontium present in bone is minimal, if not undetectable. Furthermore, as observed through artificial contamination experiments, post-burial alterations also appear to be extremely limited, which is to be expected due to the higher crystallinity of calcined bone apatite compared to tooth enamel and unburned bone. These experiments demonstrate that calcined bone provides a reliable substrate for mobility studies using its strontium isotope composition. The application of these results to the study of six Neolithic and one Bronze Age sites from Ireland showed the possibility of discriminating cremated individuals that ate food originating from different regions, as well as highlighting possible variations in cremation practices between different sites. The results of this thesis greatly extend the application of strontium isotopes to places and periods in which cremation was the dominant mortuary practice, or where unburned bone and enamel do not survive. They also provide insights into the reconstruction of ancient cremation practices.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to map the form and development of funeral customs in the southern part of the Roman Catholic parish Český Dub - in the collature of the church of St. Jakub Major in Letařovice from the middle of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century. The focus is on the local village community, its experience of the death of its own member and the form of the funeral rite, which allowed the deceased to pass from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The work analyzes funeral rituals and their development through the prism of the theory of rites of passage, specifically through the perspective of Victor Turner and the analysis of the liminal phase. It also shows the reason for ritual behavior and its performative parts. The work reflects the modernization and secularization of society and tries to reveal their influence on the rituality of burials in Letařovice. It analyzes with bureaucratization and sanitation of funeral homes. The first part of this diploma thesis presents the development of burial in the Czech lands and regional historical context. Furthermore, the traditional rural funeral in the Letařovice cemetery, its spiritual and secular part, is depicted and analyzed, as it looked for the entire period - farewell in the mourning house,...

Kremering är en både industriell och emotionell process. Krematoriet måste således facilitera ett skeende, och samtidigt agera emotionellt filter för reaktioner på detsamma. Men vilken genomsläpplighet bör detta filter ha? Skall byggnaden vara en bastant mur eller ett skirt flor mellan levande och döda? Och hur skiljer sig de sörjandes emotionella processer från dem som har krematoriet som arbetsplats? Krematoriearkitekturen har, parallellt med samhället i stort, utvecklats över tid mot större individualism, specificering och sekularisering. Estetiken har vandrat från nationalromantik till brutalism, vikt har lagts stundom vid det modernt funktionella, stundom det ideologiskt sakrala, och intentionen har pendlat mellan teatralitet och symbolik öppen för tolkning. Men somliga särdrag har kommit att bli förhärskande. Strikta geometrier, stereotom tyngd, dramatisk ljusföring och naturmotiv som betydelsemättade konstverk är några av dem. Likaså är processionsartade rumssekvenser vanliga, och byggnaderna mystifierar i varierande grad själva kremeringsförehavandet. Dessa drag är inte bara vackra och effektfulla; det är även makt- och dignitetsmarkörer. Rummen är didaktiska; ett system av styrkeförhållanden, valörer och koder, stumt förmedlade genom fysiska element. Oavsett arkitektens ambition - retorisk monumentalitet eller “självklar” anspråkslöshet - tycks rummen vilja ingjuta vördnad, respekt och förundran. Det handlar om en form och estetik som duckar ifrågasättande tolkningar genom att framstå som orubblig. Givet att flertalet attityder kring liv och död samexisterar och utvecklas kontinuerligt, bör ett krematorium inte göra anspråk på sanning,permanens eller evighet. Den enda sanningen är att vi är lika inför döden, oavsett om vi möter lågorna inneslutna i spånskiva eller mahogny, i sällskap av nära och kära eller en skiftarbetande krematorietekniker, under ceremoniella eller pragmatiska omständigheter. Detta projekt utforskar en icke-auktoritär arkitektur, som inte reproducerar rumsliga och estetiska normer. En arkitektur som inte dikterar beteenden och sinnesstämningar; som högtidlighåller men samtidigt understryker det vardagliga; som signalerar stabilitet utan att vara statisk. En tektonisk, transparent byggnad som inte hymlar med vad den är eller gör. / The cremation process is both industrial and emotional. Thus, a crematorium must facilitate one primary course of events while also handling – filtering – secondary emotional stress generated by that very activity. But should the building as filter be a solid wall or a light veil between the dead and the living? How does one define an appropriate degree of permeability and transparency? And how do you cater to the well-being of both mourners and professionals? The architecture of crematoria has, since its introduction in the mid 19th century, evolved along with society's increasing individualism, specialization and secularization. Exploring aesthetic expressions and styles from classicism and national romanticism to brutalism, the intentions have been, in various degrees and combinations, ideological, symbolic, theatrical, functional and pragmatic. However, some features seem to be predominant. Strict geometry, material heaviness, dramatic lighting and the use of nature as a work of art are some examples, as well as processional, choreographed spatial movement and mystification of the cremation itself. These features are not only striking, atmospheric and beautiful; they are also represent power and distinction. The rooms constitute a didactic system of codes and values, silently mediated through physical elements. Irrespective of the architect's ambition and intentions – rhetorical monumentality or suggestive modesty – the spaces seem to evoke feelings of awe and wonder. Firm and unyielding, the buildings dodge any critical questioning. Given today's multitude of coexisting and continually developing philosophies of life and death, a modern crematorium should not pretend to be true, permanent or eternal. The only truth is that in death all men are equal, no matter the circumstances of our passing. This project therefore explores a non-authoritative architecture that does not reproduce spatial or aesthetical norms and conventions. An architecture that does not dictate certain moods or behaviours; that celebrates the extraordinary while attending to everyday life; that conveys dignity and stability without being imposing.