Death, loss and mourning: anthropological perspectives

Program

Royal funerals and treatment of the body (Baoulé, Ivory Coast)

Among the Baule of central Côte d'Ivoire, belonging to the Akan cultural universe, funerals are by far the most important collective ritual. Where the localized and autonomous chiefdoms (nvle), which formed a complex chessboard before the colonial conquest, are still alive - as among the Nanafoué Kpri - the funerals of the supreme chiefs (famiɛn) take on a particular magnitude and significance. Despite the significant "secularization" of chieftaincy, the body of the famiɛn is the object of material and ritual care and attention during its existence and especially after its death. The famiɛn's death is first hushed up and his body preserved for months, until the celebration of his funeral, which necessarily sees the presence of his remains, destined for the final burial, preceded and followed by the interrogation of the corpse. In corpse interrogation, the spirit (kla) of the deceased - materialized in a "representation" - communicates and dialogues with the living; this is a divinatory device designed to establish the causes and responsibilities of his death, designate his successor, determine the inheritance of his possessions.

Figures of care in bereavement: the example of old age

The apprehension of bereavement is still very often based on an egocentric and linear conception of the lived experiences resulting from the loss of a loved one. The many psychological, medical and clinical theorizations of bereavement tend to reinforce this apprehension. Yet these experiences are always embedded in multiple social spheres and interactions: the world of work, the school environment, sports associations, and so on. This makes bereavement a clearly sociological and anthropological issue, which merits close attention. This presentation will remind us of the importance of (re)framing the question of bereavement in a sociological and anthropological perspective, and will draw on current research analyzing the experience of bereavement and the reconfiguration of care in old age. The aim is to discuss the impact that certain disciplinary conceptions of bereavement can have on its interpretation.

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