Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "What could be more universal than death?..." (more)
Key Phrases: ceremonial weeping, mortuary exchanges, death rites, Southeast Asia, United States, Deng Deng (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a model of clarity. It can be read by specialist and non-specialist alike..." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"...a readable and fascinating survey that on occasions borders on the brilliant." Choice

Product Description

This revised edition of a cross-cultural study of rituals surrounding death has become a standard text in anthropology, sociology, and religion. Part of its fascination and success is that in understanding other people's death rituals we are able to gain a better understanding of our own. Peter Metcalf and Richard Huntington refer to a wide variety of examples from different continents and epochs. They compare the great tombs of the Berawan of Borneo and the pyramids of Egypt, or the dramas of medieval French royal funerals and the burial alive of the Dinka "masters of the spear" in the Sudan, and other burials which at first sight seem to have little in common. Many of these cases are anthropological classics, and the authors use these examples partly in order to illustrate the many different ways in which anthropologists have tried to interpret these rites. A new introduction reviews theoretical developments in the anthropological study of death since the book first appeared in 1979.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (October 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521423759
• ISBN-13: 978-0521423755
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #269,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking ethnographies, December 3, 2006

By	Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This is by far the most enjoyable and fascinating comparative case-studies I've read concerning treatment of the dead in Southeast Asia. I suggest this book to anyone wishing to crossculturally examine views of the deceased and the rituals associated with death. Superb, absolutely brilliant.

Raven Digitalis

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebration of death, March 7, 2009

By	Lisa Fisher "booker" (usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am so impressed with the information in this book, it has been an asset for my research.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for a new Anthropologist, October 21, 2007

By	Michelle Watsoon (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good book which deals with funerary rites and traditions. It looks at how death is celebrated in various countries and through different cultures. I gave it four stars instead of five as I had hoped it would have dealt more with persons from an African and Aborigine environments.