McDonaldization, Islamic Teachings, and Funerary Practices in Kuwait

Abstract

Drawing on George Ritzer's sociological concept of McDonaldization, this article explores the transformation of burial practices in Kuwait. It is argued that traditional, religious, and private ways of dealing with death have been modernized using the fast-food model of McDonald's. This article examines Islamic teachings on burial and how that model has been applied to the traditional Muslim funerary services, including cemetery management, grave excavation, funeral prayers, burial, and condolences, to make them more efficient vis-a-vis more profitable. Based on personal observations and random interviews, the study finds that the state bureaucracy in Kuwait has made burial rituals more efficient, standardized, calculable, and controlled. Furthermore, several associated irrationalities are also considered. Findings suggest that some individuals may not be happy with these changes but there is no popular resistance to McDonaldization of the burial practices, probably due to the authoritarian and welfare nature of the State of Kuwait.

Ölü Beden Yönetiminde Dini Mesleki Bir Form: Gassal

“…Ölüm endüstrisi, Amerika kaynaklı cenaze evleri, mezarlıkları, krematoryumları, ölüm öncesi ve sonrası planlamaları ve satılan ürünleri içeren gittikçe büyüyen bir piyasaya atıf yapmaktadır (Mitford, 1963;Saunders, 1991). Kavramın diğer ülkelerdeki ölüm ve ölüme dair işleri de McDonaldlaştırdığını ileri süren çalışmaların da dikkat çektiği görülmektedir (Howarth, 1997;Iqbal, 2011). Geleneksel topluluklarda el yordamı ve atalardan öğrenilen metotlarla işlenen ölü bedenler, modern şirketleşmeyle profesyonel uzmanlara geçmiştir (Sağır, 2017).…”

Spatial Regeneration of Muslim Burial Practices in the Metropolitan Areas of Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta

“…For example, the orientation of the graves must be aligned with qiblah, as Islam requires the corpse to face in that direction (Hashim, 2007). The grave arrangements in Muslim cemeteries are commonly based on a grid system (Iqba, 2011) and each grave plot has a marking stone or its own special number for the purpose of identification in the future (Figure 2). Figure 2: Grave marking stones are used at KLKMC to indicate the exact position of burial plots, whereas, a more systematic approach is practiced at TSMC to assist people to locate their graves during a visit.…”

Exploring Filipinos’ Preferred Funerary Arrangement for Terminal Departure

“…Some funeral customs were modified as people want to create their own style; it is the mode of the time, for economic reason, or the deceased's wish as evidenced in the funerary practices in Japan (Naoko, 2009), China (Chang, 2010), Korea (Korean Funeral Rites, n.d.), Kuwait (Iqbal, 2011), and in the United States (Nguyen & Song, 2008).In the Philippines, funeral customs vary across cultures, religions, and traditions in its more than 7,000 islands. The majority of Filipinos are Christians, mostly Catholics.…”