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‘They have different ways of doing things’. Cemeteries, diversity and local place attachment’

McClymont, Katie

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Katie McClymont Katie.Mcclymont@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Urban Planning



Abstract

This paper draws on research from cemeteries in the UK which explores their role in presenting and promoting local identity, and accommodating multifaith and multicultural practices. It draws on interviews with cemetery managers, and researcher taken photographs of gravestones, cemetery landscapes and other memorial practices to present a broad diversity both within and between groups, places and sites. Both the visual material and interview data highlight the strength of (local) place attachment in the expression of identity in both material memorials and practices.

The interview research suggests that there are different understandings of group and individual identities between those seen as ‘indigenous’ or ‘immigrant’, with assumptions of homogenous wishes for members of the latter category, which are also substantively different that those of the ‘local’ population. However, the visual material problematizes the simplicity of this designated difference. This unsettles static assumptions about identity, raising questions for those managing or developing cemetery space. The paper also explores notions of meaning and interpretation in visual vis-à-vis verbal research material.

Citation

McClymont, K. (2016, August). ‘They have different ways of doing things’. Cemeteries, diversity and local place attachment’. Paper presented at RGS-IGB Annual International Conference, Kensington, London

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (unpublished)
Conference Name RGS-IGB Annual International Conference
Conference Location Kensington, London
Start Date Aug 30, 2016
End Date Sep 2, 2016
Acceptance Date Feb 1, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Keywords cemeteries, diversity, local place attachment
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/914412
Additional Information Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2016

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