Authority from Grief, Presence and Place in the Making of Roadside Memorials

Abstract

Those who make memorials for the victims of motor vehicle crashes assume an authority to do so that stems from three main elements of experience: the overwhelming empowerment of grief; the belief that the presence of the deceased can be felt and recognized; and the understanding that the place where life was lost is a special place for memorialization. The strength of grief, the power of presence and the importance of place allows ordinary people to assume and, therefore, challenge the authority of the church and the government as official purveyors and regulators of mourning ritual.

Online memorials: the virtual as the new vernacular

“…In some cases, typically sub-cultures or those marginalised by type of bereavement, these expressions can subvert the norms of what is acceptable in mainstream memorial culture and practices. This can be seen as part of the wider trends to what has been described as 'bereavement entitlement' (Clark & Franzmann, 2006) and narrating the life of the deceased through increasingly individualised markers and practices of remembrance. Another shift can be identified in greater representation of women in virtual and other vernacular memorials, compared with public statuary.…”

Drivers’ perceptions and reactions to roadside memorials

“…These sanctified, holy, rest areas which are called Descansos (Spanish for 'resting place') have since evolved into markers of the location of traffic fatalities by the side of the road (Nance, 2001). The vast majority of memorials consist of a cross, often white, with flowers, photos, notes, cards, dolls or various other memorabilia (Everett, 2000;Clark and Franzman, 2006;Collins and Rhine, 2003;Reid and Reid, 2001). Collins and Rhine (2003) conducted a survey of the bereaved families to identify their purposes in placing the memorials.…”

‘The Island of Blood’: death and commemoration at the Isle of Man TT Races

“…In related disciplines scholars have recognized that, as society has become more adept at controlling the manner and circumstance of death, there has been an increased desire to commemorate those deaths which deviate from the established 'norm', particularly where the 'norms' become negated when death occurs suddenly, unexpectedly or violently, compelling mourners to find new mechanisms for closure (Collins and Rhine 2003;Howarth 2007; although see Sayer 2010). The resultant 'memorial mania' reflects an inherent shift in contemporary attitudes towards death and dying that has seen a movement away from death-negating practices towards rituals that emphasize public mourning (Doss 2008;Howarth 2007), but also reflects an increasing dissatisfaction with established forms of religious expression and 'The Island of Blood' 249 ritual (Clark and Franzmann 2006). The memorials at the Isle of Man TT Races serve as a useful exemplar of how death resulting from participation in sport is approached within contemporary society.…”