With so many people grieving, the notion of doing so in public was seen as tasteless and vulgar. Funerals became smaller, people put on a brave face in public and fewer people wore black.
AI ghosts, the recreation of digital versions of the dead, may sound like a wonderful idea to those dealing with the pain of loss but this technology could seriously disrupt the grieving process
Whose lives are considered worth grieving? Why is Queen Elizabeth’s life and death considered more grievable by authorities than Indigenous people, overdose victims or anyone else?
Grieving the queen’s passing can be different to grieving the loss of someone we were close to. It’s also complicated by politics, colonialism and the contest about who she really was.
Necessary public health protections have affected people’s access to dying loved ones, limited their participation in important rituals, and reduced their social support.
Religious scholars and faith leaders reflect on the death rites cultures have developed to honor the deceased, comfort the living and share the burden of mourning.
Virtual music vigils after the Nova Scotia shootings draw on a long tradition of Atlantic Canadian disaster songs and ‘broadside ballads’ to mourn in a time of social distancing.