The unnaturalness of natural burials: dispossessing the dispossessed

Abstract

The rise of natural burials has not been without controversy. Traditionalist funeralists and a number of mourners struggle to reconcile new immaterial, antisymbolic practices with those of old. Drawing from an extensive ethnographic study of German cemeteries of both traditional and natural denomination, and by employing a spatial theory approach, we consider the impact that the rise of natural burials has had on all parties in the funeral industry. In particular, we find that those who initially profess a keenness to mark the death of a loved one according to the new conventions of natural burials frequently become disillusioned with their choice. They are unwilling to fully embrace novel mourning practices which eradicate the material symbols that memorialise the deceased. In effect, natural burials dispossess the already dispossessed.