'A Few Remarks on Modern Sepulture': Current Trends and New Directions in Cemetery Research

In contrast with other countries—particularly France and the USA—cemetery research in the UK has tended to be limited and sporadic. This paper constitutes a review of existing literature on British cemeteries, and examines a number of new theories and approaches that may be applied to cemetery research. Although much of the paper concentrates on historical, sociological and social policy material, relevant debates in other disciplines are also introduced. The paper has five sections and discusses: gaps in the history of cemetery establishment; cemeteries and the corpse; cemeteries and grief; the cemetery as a specific type of landscape; and cemeteries as cultural institutions. The paper principally concerns UK cemeteries, but references are made to international studies for the purpose of comparison, to demonstrate broader trends and to illustrate fruitful avenues of research yet to be pursued in the UK.