The Evolution of the British Funeral Industry in the 20th Century by Parsons, Brian;

From Undertaker to Funeral Director

Series: Emerald Studies in Death and Culture;

Publisher's listprice GBP 71.99
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34 393 Ft (32 755 Ft + 5% VAT)

34 393 Ft

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Product details:

Publisher Emerald Publishing Limited
Date of Publication 28 March 2018

ISBN 9781787436305
Binding Hardback
No. of pages288 pages
Size 229x152x19 mm
Weight 488 g
Language English

Short description:

This book examines the shifts that have taken place in the funeral industry since 1900, focusing on the figure of the undertaker and exploring how organizational change and attempts to gain recognition as a professional service provider saw the role morph into that of 'funeral director'.

Long description:

The Evolution of the British Funeral Industry in the 20th Century examines the shifts that have taken place in the funeral industry since 1900, focusing on the figure of the undertaker and exploring how organisational change and attempts to gain recognition as a professional service provider saw the role morph into that of ‘funeral director’.

As the disposal of the dead increased in complexity during the twentieth century, the role of the undertaker/funeral director has mirrored this change. Whilst the undertaker of 1900 primarily encoffined and transported the body, today’s funeral director provides other services, such as taking responsibility for the body of the deceased and embalming, and has overseen changes such as the increasing preference for cremation, the impact of technology on the production of coffins and the shift to motorised transport. These factors, together with the problem of succession for some family-run funeral businesses, have led large organisations to make acquisitions and manage funerals on a centralised basis, achieving economies of scale.

This book examines how the occupation has sought to reposition itself and how the ‘funeral director’ has become an essential functionary in funerary practices. However, despite striving for new-found status the role is hindered by two key issues: the stigma of handling the dead, and the perception of making a profit from loss.

This new history of the British funeral and of the funeral profession from this distinguished social historian is particularly timely as well as welcome… Brian Parsons is not just an historian of the funeral industry, he has had hands-on experience of every aspect of the profession since his formative years. He thus has an insider’s perspective on the business… This is indeed a very fine history. It is a great achievement of scholarship lightly worn and generously shared.