Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112). Also available via the Internet.

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-92).

Occupationism recently has been introduced and defined as discrimination on the basis of one's occupation (Carson, 1992; Krumboltz, 1991, 1992). In this qualitative study, the existence of occupationism is investigated through the examination of the results of interviews with six funeral directors. The statements of the participants describing occupationist acts (either positive or negative) were classified into a number of categories at both fine-grained and more superordinate levels. Implications of the results for the proposed occupationism construct and suggestions for future research and career interventions are discussed.

No description available.

The study was designed to ascertain the level of knowledge, opinions, and degree of preparedness of a group of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty and staff concerning selected practices and regulations of the funeral industry. Questionnaires were returned by 226 respondents; this represented 75.00% of the sample. The Consumer Funeral Test was developed for this study and included a knowledge, opinion, and preparedness section. Mean achievement score on the knowledge section was 4.00, representing 57.10% correct. Kuder-Richardson formula twenty reliability estimate equaled 0.14; an expected low figure given the small number of questions (seven). The opinions expressed indicated that the respondents were "conventional" in their feelings; that is, there was a general tendency toward agreement with selected practices and regulations of the funeral industry, that was anticipated according to previous studies and responses by consumers. "Unconventional" would indicate a general tendency toward agreement with the status quo of selected practices and regulations of the funeral industry. The preparedness scores reported by respondents indicated that the greater majority are unprepared for their own funerals. Of the five preparedness questions asked, four received a negative response by 79.80% or more of the respondents. No statistically significant relationship existed between the knowledge, opinions, and preparedness scores. Also, age, education, income, sex, and religion were not related to the opinions and preparedness scores reported. However, a significant relationship existed between the knowledge of selected practices and regulations of the funeral industry and the age, education, and sex of the respondents. Those who were older scored higher; the males scored significantly higher than the females on the knowledge section; and those with more education scored higher. / Master of Science

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / Every society must accommodate death. For this reason, the mortuary provides a vital service in the twenty-first century city, as it caters for the effects of unexpected death on individuals and society. In Johannesburg, South Africa, the city’s main mortuary currently functions in outdated and insufficient facilities, even though this urban centre has one of the highest death rates on the continent. An exploration of the Johannesburg Mortuary’s physical context and urban history reveals that this area remains fundamental to Johannesburg City’s health infrastructure and understanding of unnatural death. In addition, a theory study explores the influential ideas surrounding the mortuary typology at large. Here, three aspects are considered: the institutional role, the emotional role, and the spiritual role of the mortuary. Although the important medical and legal needs of state are acknowledged, this paper argues that the mortuary must also cater for the emotions of mourners and mortuary employees. In addition, the mortuary must seek to address death’s spiritual significance through an architectural expression of “liminality,” a concept that represents the transitional moment of death. Equipped with an understanding of the Johannesburg Mortuary’s physical, historic and theoretical contexts, this paper pursues an architectural response. The project’s final design represents the findings of this paper’s theory investigation, as applied to the chosen study site in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Instead of perceiving the mortuary as an institutional barrier, the mortuary is designed as a bridge; the living are linked to the dead while they are held in a state of transition. / GR2017

This thesis examines the personalisation of Pakeha (European) post-mortem practices in New Zealand. While much of the discourse surrounding funerary and disposal processes maintains that contemporary practices demonstrate a �denial� of death and funeral director esurience, funeral directors themselves have argued that the austere Anglophone approach to death has been superseded by personalised practices. This transformation has become particularly evident in the last two decades and emphasises a historic shift to funeral services that encompass the heterogeneity of late-modern individuals. The aim of this thesis, however, is not to recapitulate funeral director rhetoric or reiterate the criticisms levelled at the industry, but to critically examine the implications and manifestations of personalisation, and explore the funeral directors� role in the provision of contemporary funeral services. In addition to archival research, this ethnographic endeavour includes in-depth interviews with funeral directors (and related occupational groups) and an extended period of participant observation. The theoretical issues explored in this thesis are grounded in this ethnographic data. This study reveals that personalisation is integrally linked to constructions of grief, the pastoral role of funeral directors, and Foucault�s concept of bio-power. Funeral director participants asseverated that funeral practices had �evolved� to effect the �healthy� resolution of grief. Personalised funerals represented a re-alignment of �natural� human needs and cultural practices, and funeral director rhetoric amalgamated essentialist interpretations of grief with personalised memories and continuing bonds (Klass and Walter 2001). Funeral directors explicitly linked personalisation to secularisation, emphasising the perceived lack of �guidance� and �care� in contemporary society. Although �impersonal� religious funerals provided funeral specialists with an important point of departure, many funeral directors emphasised the pastoral dimension of contemporary funeral directing. This dimension constitutes a key component of the funeral directors� role and permeated all facets of funeral service - particularly the increasing range of after-care funeral options. Although the funeral director rhetoric emphasises the democratisation of funeral practices and the primacy of individuality, an examination of the discourse reveals that this personalisation also demonstrates the normalising technologies integral to Foucault�s concept of �pastoral power�. I argue that funeral directors play a significant role in articulating the boundaries of �appropriate� funeral behaviour by accentuating the importance of �authenticity�, �dignity� and �healthy grief�. These concepts underline the expertise of funeral directors, define the acceptable parameters of post-mortem practices, and reify the integral involvement of funeral directors in the construction process. The specific subjectivity promoted by funeral directors constitute individuals that are not only �honest� and �real�, but recognise the �need� for a funeral service, emotional expression, and memorialisation. These individuals similarly realise the importance of integrating the deceased into their own biographies, while acknowledging the significance of guidance and control. This subjectivity clearly legitimises the role of the contemporary New Zealand funeral director. This thesis illustrates, therefore, that funeral directors play a salient role in articulating bio-power within New Zealand society, and that this endeavour is integrally linked to the occupations� continuing pursuit of professional identity.

Thèse (Ph. D.)--Université Laval, 1999. / Comprend des réf. bibliogr.

This thesis examines the personalisation of Pakeha (European) post-mortem practices in New Zealand. While much of the discourse surrounding funerary and disposal processes maintains that contemporary practices demonstrate a �denial� of death and funeral director esurience, funeral directors themselves have argued that the austere Anglophone approach to death has been superseded by personalised practices. This transformation has become particularly evident in the last two decades and emphasises a historic shift to funeral services that encompass the heterogeneity of late-modern individuals. The aim of this thesis, however, is not to recapitulate funeral director rhetoric or reiterate the criticisms levelled at the industry, but to critically examine the implications and manifestations of personalisation, and explore the funeral directors� role in the provision of contemporary funeral services. In addition to archival research, this ethnographic endeavour includes in-depth interviews with funeral directors (and related occupational groups) and an extended period of participant observation. The theoretical issues explored in this thesis are grounded in this ethnographic data. This study reveals that personalisation is integrally linked to constructions of grief, the pastoral role of funeral directors, and Foucault�s concept of bio-power. Funeral director participants asseverated that funeral practices had �evolved� to effect the �healthy� resolution of grief. Personalised funerals represented a re-alignment of �natural� human needs and cultural practices, and funeral director rhetoric amalgamated essentialist interpretations of grief with personalised memories and continuing bonds (Klass and Walter 2001). Funeral directors explicitly linked personalisation to secularisation, emphasising the perceived lack of �guidance� and �care� in contemporary society. Although �impersonal� religious funerals provided funeral specialists with an important point of departure, many funeral directors emphasised the pastoral dimension of contemporary funeral directing. This dimension constitutes a key component of the funeral directors� role and permeated all facets of funeral service - particularly the increasing range of after-care funeral options. Although the funeral director rhetoric emphasises the democratisation of funeral practices and the primacy of individuality, an examination of the discourse reveals that this personalisation also demonstrates the normalising technologies integral to Foucault�s concept of �pastoral power�. I argue that funeral directors play a significant role in articulating the boundaries of �appropriate� funeral behaviour by accentuating the importance of �authenticity�, �dignity� and �healthy grief�. These concepts underline the expertise of funeral directors, define the acceptable parameters of post-mortem practices, and reify the integral involvement of funeral directors in the construction process. The specific subjectivity promoted by funeral directors constitute individuals that are not only �honest� and �real�, but recognise the �need� for a funeral service, emotional expression, and memorialisation. These individuals similarly realise the importance of integrating the deceased into their own biographies, while acknowledging the significance of guidance and control. This subjectivity clearly legitimises the role of the contemporary New Zealand funeral director. This thesis illustrates, therefore, that funeral directors play a salient role in articulating bio-power within New Zealand society, and that this endeavour is integrally linked to the occupations� continuing pursuit of professional identity.