Funerary Practices in the Czech Republic

Olga Nešporová
Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic


Product Details
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9781789731125
Published:
Publisher:
Emerald Publishing Limited
Dimensions:
184 pages - 129 x 198mm
Series:
Funerary International
List price £45.99 List price €51.99 List price $61.99
Categories:
This book offers the first comprehensive study of Czech funerary practices to be published in English. It provides an in-depth account of the historical development of funeral traditions and customs in the Czech Lands from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

Czech funerary practice is today characterised by a very high cremation rate, the predominance of secular funerals and the increasing popularity of cremation with no funeral ceremony. Combining investigation of both long-term developments and recent changes, this book places these contemporary practices in their wider historical context, highlighting the complicated religious, political and cultural factors that have influenced funeral traditions over time. Nešporová draws attention to the extent to which the turbulent political background of the 20th century shaped funerary culture, focusing particularly on the cremation movement and the increase in popularity of civil funerals during the Communist era. The book explores the contemporary legal framework of Czech funerary practices, the typical funeral, burial sites and commemorative practices and recent developments in Czech funerary practice.

The book will appeal to a multi-disciplinary audience, including those working in the fields of cultural anthropology, history, sociology and architecture.

Chapter 1. Introduction 
Chapter 2. History 
Chapter 3. Demographic and legal frameworks 
Chapter 4. Crematoria and cremation 
Chapter 5. The funeral and the funeral ceremony 
Chapter 6. Funeral costs 
Chapter 7. Burial sites 
 Chapter 8. Commemoration
Olga Nešporová is a senior researcher at the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and at the Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs in Prague, Czech Republic.

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