Approaching Religion 13/1 on death and funerals in the North

The new issue of Approaching Religion (Vol. 13/1 2023) is based on a roundtable seminar arranged in Åbo/Turku, in April 2022, with the theme “‘Death comes equally to us all, and makes us all equal when it comes’? Funerals in the North of Europe – similarities and differences”. The event was organised jointly by the Swedish funerals research network, based at The Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Religion and Society (CRS), Uppsala University, and the Donner. Guest editors for the issue are Martha Middlemiss Lé Mon (UU), Magdalena Nordin (GU) and Måns Broo (ÅAU).

The roundtable explored similarities and differences in funerals in the Nordic Countries, with comparisons also made to the UK. Focus was placed on funerals as a social phenomenon, including both ritual developments and the broader issues of the place and understanding of funerals. The conversations concentrated mainly on the contemporary situation, while bringing in historical perspectives as an important element. A central aim of the seminar was to bring together researchers, who have recently conducted studies in the Nordic countries highlighting changes to funerals during recent times, not least due to the pandemic, but also to place recent developments in a longer perspective.

The current issue discusses themes such as developments in secular funerals, multi-religious families and ritual change in funerals and space, place and the digital in relation to funerals. Among the contributing authors are researchers in the study of religions, sociology of religion, theology, anthropology, gender studies and landscape architecture, resulting in a vivid and colourful conversation across disciplines. Approaching Religion is published by the Donner Institute, it is fully open access and accessed at: https://journal.fi/ar