Invisible Population

Natacha Aveline-Dubach

doi:10.5771/9780739171455

Summary

The issue of population ageing in East-Asia has been extensively studied but we remain in the dark as to the fate of the region’s growing dead population, particularly in the largest metropolitan areas where there is bitter competition for space among the various human activities. From private cemetery developers to undertakers, not to mention a vast array of sub-contractors, death is discreetly helping a multitude of industry players to prosper. The result has been the transformation of funeral services into a fully-fledged industry that is rapidly expanding and adapting to the needs of urban societies with their extreme lack of space. In the specific context of East-Asian megacities, funeral rituals and practices are evolving rapidly in an attempt to conform to spatial constraints and address emerging challenges such as urban sustainability and growing social inequalities.

Research dealing with death in East-Asia has so far focused on symbolic and religious issues, ignoring the social, economic and spatial dimensions that have become crucial in a context of rapid urbanization. This book aims to remedy this situation while highlighting for the first time the shared characteristics of funerary issues across Japan, Korea and China.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2012
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7391-7144-8
ISBN-Online: 978-0-7391-7145-5
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 223
Product type: Edited Book

1. Contents No access
2. Acknowledgments No access
3. List of Illustrations No access
4. Introduction No access
1. Retrospect on the Origins of the Funeral Industry in Japan No access
2. Restructuring of the Stakeholder System No access
3. The Outlook for the Funeral Industry No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. Introduction No access
2. The Main Stages of the Traditional Ceremony No access
3. The Evolution of Funerals in Urban Societies No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. New Religious Institutions Set Out to Conquer Funerary Affairs No access
2. Tailor-Made Grave Systems No access
3. Graveless Burial Systems No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. The Rise and Fall of Shanghai’s Funeral Industry No access
2. The Revival of the Funeral Industry Under Close Supervision No access
3. New Challenges for Deathspaces No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. Funeral Reform in Shanghai No access
2. Funerary Sites: Restricted Spaces No access
3. Survival and Reorganising of Traditional Practices No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. Introduction No access
2. The Evolution of Funerary Rites Since the Imperial Era No access
3. Funerary Rites in the Contemporary China, the Example of Panyu District No access
4. The New Policy On Graves No access
5. Conclusion No access
1. Cremation and Burial: Successive Debates Throughout Korean History No access
2. Choosing Cremation and the Type of Grave No access
3. Conclusion No access
1. Changes in Funerary Site and Grave Regulations No access
2. The Creation of Cemeteries and Construction of Crematoria in Seoul No access
3. Evolution in Mortuary Spaces and Facilities After Independence No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. The Importance of Funeral Services No access
2. Changes in Burial Systems No access
3. Bright Future for South Korea’s Funeral Industry No access
4. Conclusion No access
Conclusion No access Pages 206 - 219
About the Authors No access Pages 220 - 221
Index No access Pages 222 - 223