The Body in Grief: Death Investigations, Objections to Autopsy, and the Religious and Cultural ‘Other’

Religions

Belinda Carpenter²  Gordon Tait¹ 

[1] School of Cultural and Professional Learning, Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; E-Mail:;School of Justice, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George St, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia

关键词: body;    religion;    Indigenous;    culture;    death;    sacred;    grief;    autopsy;    coroner;    Australia;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rel5010165

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Sudden, violent and otherwise unexplained deaths are investigated in most western jurisdictions through a Coronial or medico-legal process. A crucial element of such an investigation is the legislative requirement to remove the body for autopsy and other medical interventions, processes which can disrupt traditional religious and cultural grieving practices. While recent legislative changes in an increasing number of jurisdictions allow families to raise objections based on religious and cultural grounds, such concerns can be over-ruled, often exacerbating the trauma and grief of families. Based on funded research which interviews a range of Coronial staff in one Australian jurisdiction, this paper explores the disjuncture between medico-legal discourses, which position the body as corpse, and the rise of more ‘therapeutic’ discourses which recognise the family’s wishes to reposition the body as beloved and lamented.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.