Inert bodies, mobile deaths. The trajectories of the dead in France: (dis)placements, circulations and representations

Can a dead man be mobile? The paradox immediately springs to mind: how could a dead person, inert by definition, be mobile? This thesis project starts from the observation that the dead, far from being condemned to immobility and a parked state, become mobile by the will of the living. Thus, from the place of death to the place of burial or scattering of ashes, the dead are put into circulation. Home, hospital, retirement home, public highway, mortuary, funeral home, hearse, ferry, airplane, helicopter, ceremonial site, crematorium or cemetery: there are many places and means of transport, traversed or dedicated to the dead, that contravene this apparent paradox. So what are the ways in which the dead are cared for and taken into account throughout France? What systems and infrastructures have been put in place to deal with the dead, and how are they evolving? How do the trajectories of the dead relate to cultural, social, identity and political issues? This thesis project aims to shed light on the importance of these questions by mobilizing several privileged workshop spaces (Paris and the inner suburbs; Finistère; Reunion Island), complemented by a number of complementary workshop spaces. The methodology, which is mainly qualitative, is based on immersion observations in hospital mortuaries and, above all, in funeral parlors, the latter being at the heart of the care of the dead. The project is also based on interviews with various players in the medical and funeral sectors. The aim of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of the French map of the trajectories of the dead, which is set to evolve: according to Insee projections, France should have around 800,000 deaths by 2045, compared with 600,000 today.

Under the direction of Xavier BERNIER

Link to theses.fr: https://theses.fr/s394755