Cross cultural differences in body remain disposition

Nicolas Jeausseran

Doctor Dickinson

Sociology 390

11 April 2017

Cross-Cultural Dispositions of Body Remains

Introduction

        This paper seeks to illuminate the differences in the cross cultural dispositions of body remains. During class, death was a topic in which we discussed with pinpointing, the beliefs and the end of life in the United States. However, the main focus was not on the differences and how other cultures were approaching the end of life. With personal experiences and the readings that have been discussed thus far about the subject, death, it is found that there are many differences and many ways that exist in the body dispositions and rituals after a death globally. This paper will discuss the findings, whether its similarities or differences, through one-on-one interviews where they will compare their rituals to the social norm of society. To conclude, they will also discuss how religions play a pertinent role in the end of life and analyze if this is merely from the religion or if it is from the country of origin who played a bigger role within the choice of death body disposition.

Description of participants

        To answer the questions and have a better understanding of different body dispositions and rituals globally, I took the stance of interviewing nine different people who come from different origins and religions. The first participant is named Laura Kuroki. Miss Kuroki is 21 years old and is currently a student at the College of Charleston. She is born in America and raised in Philadelphia. She was raised in a Christian environment and is a practicing Catholic. The second participant is Leland Archer. Mr. Archer is 21 years old and is also a student from the College of Charleston. He was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and was raised there before moving to the United States for his College Education. Leland is a Christian but does not practice his religion. The third participant is from Algeria, North Africa. Khaled Djelal is a 27 year old who is currently unemployed. Mr. Djelal was born in Algeria before immigrating with his family to France at the age of fifth-teen. He is a practicing Muslim. The fourth participant is named Jeffrey Otto. Mr. Otto is 18 years old and is from Ghana. He moved to the United States a year ago to play professional soccer for the Charleston Battery. Mr. Otto is a Christian but he is from a country where the religion is very diverse. This mean that 25% of the population are Muslim, 23% are traditionalists, 41% are Christian, and the rest, about 9%, are considered “other” (Derek King, Robbie MacLaughlin, and Courtney Thomas). The fifth participant is from Japan and just moved to the United States to play soccer for the Charleston Battery this year. His name is Kutaro Higashi and is a Buddhist. Mr. Higashi practices his religion and takes it extremely seriously. Japan is a country which is separated by two mains religions, Shinto and Buddhism. The sixth participant is named Tah Anunga and is from Cameroun, a French Colony in West Africa. Mr. Anunga is a 21 year old soccer player for the Charleston Battery and is a practicing Christian. The seventh participant is Cornell Holland. Cornell is 21 years old and is also a student from the College of Charleston. Mr. Holland is from England and moved to the United States two years ago for his College education. He grew up in an Atheist family; therefore, religion has no relevance in his life. The eighth participant is from France. His name is Patrick Lançon and he 45 years old. He spent all his life in France and became an engineer. He did not grew up in a religious family so he is also an Atheist. The final participant is named Aaron Wells. Mr. Wells is from Greenville, SC and is a Baptist. He is 17 years old and is currently a student who is a passionate soccer player.

Description of interview

        The interviews were composed of eight different questions. The first two questions aimed to get to know the person; their name, age, occupation and background. These questions were important because it allows one to learn where the participant is from, where they grew up and why their religion is important, or unimportant, and how it related to their rituals and their ceremonies at the end of their lives. The following two questions that were asked were to understand and have more knowledge about their religion and their perception of death. Then, they were asked to to explain if their reasoning was because of their country origins or if it was because of their religion. This was used to have a better understanding of their rituals and the death body disposition and the practices that were involved. The interview was conducted face to face with people living in Charleston even though there was a slight language barrier. The other interviews were conducted via telephone as well as in French so that they did no have to worry about anything being expressed improperly.

Findings in the interviews

        Khaled Djelal, a 27 year old Muslim from Algeria, was very informed and had good explications about his beliefs and the practices in his country. He explained how important the ceremonies were as well as the rituals for his family. They follow the rules and the beliefs of the Islamic culture. Mr. Djelal explained that death is part of life. By saying that, even if it is not easy to lose a close friend or a family member, one has to accept it and believe in God to treat the death well. He said that after death in Algeria, the family only has 24 hours before the burial. Being specific, before sunrise, if the death happened in the morning or the next morning if it happened during the night. During these 24 hours he explained all the steps that they must follow before the burial. Mr. Djelal discussed that women were not allowed to come to the ceremony of the burial. This was to protect them because they were considered too emotional. However, today they come to the ceremony but must stay back. He added that flowers are not welcomed during the ceremonies because the best things that people can offer are prayers for the death not florals. When speaking to him about ritual clothing, he stated that they had to wear something special during the ceremony. He answered that they only have to wear somber clothes. This was to add discreetness to the ceremony. After the death, he explained to that the body disposition is extremely important. The body has to be cleaned three times by four men. He mentioned that the head of the diseased has to be placed in the direct line of Mecca (the holy city for muslims) with their hands crossed on the chest. When this step is done, the body is placed in three layers of white fabric and is transported to the cemetery by four men. On the question about how the body should be placed in the ground he was really precise. He answered that, “the body of the deceased should be slightly lying on the right side when put in the ground. His face (and not the axis of his body) must be placed in front of the axis of Mecca.”

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