Beyond the Body presents a new and sophisticated approach to death, dying and bereavement, and the sociology of the body. The authors challenge existing theories that put the body at the centre of identity. They go 'beyond the body' to highlight the persistence of self-identity even when the body itself has been disposed of or is missing.
Chapters draw together a wide range of empirical data, including cross-cultural case studies and fieldwork to examine both the management of the corpse and the construction of the 'soul' or 'spirit' by focusing on the work of:
*undertakers
*embalmers
*coroners
*clergy
*clairvoyants
*exorcists
*bereavement counsellors.

Hallam, Elizabeth; Hockey, Jenny; Howarth, Glennys

1.Introduction PART ONE: Social Identity and Dying 2.Self-less Bodies 3.The Dying Body: Visual and Textual Representations 4.Silent Bodies and Narrative Strategies PART TWO: The Dead Body as a Site of Social Identity 5.The Medical Body Contested 6.The Legal Body 7.The Social Body PART THREE: Social Identity in the Absence of the Body 8.Married Life-after-Death 9. Disembodied Selves 10.Matter out of Place