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Call for Chapters for Edited Book – Death and Consumer Culture (tentative title)
Edited by Susan Dobscha, Visiting Scholar, Reims Management School

“…living, flourishing, suffering, and dying are more interdependently related to acquiring, owning, and disposing than at any other historical time.” Mick et al. (2012, 3)

Death acts as a constant reminder of our mortality. Consumption practices continue to permeate more of our commonplace experiences and thus death has become big business. From funeral expenditures to estate planning, death and consumption are “interdependently related.” Some academic disciplines have a long history of studying death while others are just entering the arena. The University of Bath’s Center for Death and Society list the following disciplines as ones contributing to a better understanding of death: sociology, psychology, social work, social policy, international development, human-computer interaction, anthropology, history, archaeology, and religion. Although their website displays a shrine built to Steve Jobs, marketing and consumer research are not listed as participating disciplines nor are consumption practices captured in the Centre’s description of their aims ().

This edited book will focus on the many facets of death as it weaves in and out of our cultural practices, our life histories, and importantly, our consumption practices and extend the seminal work in marketing that has focused on death rituals (Bonsu and Belk 2003), and consumption directly before, during, and after an important passing (Gentry et al 1995; Turley and O’Donohoe 2012).

Possible Topics Include (but are not limited to):

• Materiality and the Evolving Meaning of Death, Mourning, and Memorialization
• Modern Conceptualizations of Funeral and Burial Planning
• Disposition of the Deceased’s Possessions
• Cryogenic Storage
• Cloning of Family Pets
• The Emerging “Natural Burial” Industry
• Disposition of Remains
• Consumption of the “Death Arts”
• Use of Death as a Metaphor for Consumption Practices
• Cross-Cultural Representations and Enactments of Death
• The Politics of Cemeteries
• Consuming Celebrity Deaths
• Assisted Suicide Legislation

I would be very happy to discuss any rough ideas you may have that are not represented in this list.

If you would like to contribute your work, indicate your willingness to participate by October 15th, 2013 to Susan Dobscha, Visiting Scholar, Reims Management School, sdobscha@bentley.edu with:

– A 400-500 word abstract and a short biography of all co-authors

If your proposal is accepted, you will receive a timeline of due dates. Tentative due date for the completed chapter is April 1st, 2014.

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