From Suspension to Acceleration:The Temporal System of Urban Funerals in Modern Shanghai and Its Ethical Implications
Based on a succinct review of the temporal changes in funeral customs in the developmental process of modern Shanghai,this article presents an analysis of the social causes of the transformation from local funeral practices to urban funeral services,as well as the impact of this change brought about by ideas of science and "progress" on the current funeral system in Shanghai.In the modern era,the temporal system of funeral practices in Shanghai has consistently been in an accelerated state.Since the opening of Shanghai port,a modern social structure has gradually formed,with a growing and mobile population,high social differentiation,and various specialized social organizations.In accordance with the funeral traditions of Han Chinese society,those who died far away from home and were unable to be buried in their native-place were taken care of by guilds,with their bodies still marked by society,preserving their individual characteristics and social and cultural attributes.The guild established a unique social space for the deceased,and in the long waiting process for burial,the local cultural system was reiterated,exerting a moral force of cohesion and integration.The intervention of the Western public health and the increased degree of medicalization led to a fundamental change in the public understanding about the "deceased".In the process of urbanization,human life-course is viewed as a linear process,and death is objectified as a biological change and regulated through technological intervention.Theories of evolutionism and biomedical science thus resulted in such a change in perception which has shaped current urban funeral practices:after a person's death,the "scientific" fact of death is quickly established and incorporated into an accelerated process of organization and control.The way in which people coped with the complex emotions generated by death,such as fear,pain,and anxiety,in the fast and finely segmented funeral process,remains an issue for further observation and discussion.
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