Selecting a place of rest after a life on the move: determinants of post-mortal mobility in Sweden

Abstract

Mobility among humans is a central feature in today’s society. From the day we are born until the day we die, humans are engaged in different types of mobilities. However, most studies on human mobility focus on actions performed by individuals when they are alive, which is not at all strange. However, as proven in previous studies, people do not cease to be mobile just because they happen to die. On the contrary, death is often a trigger for mobility. The mobility of the dead, or post-mortal mobility, is a growing phenomenon in many Western countries and represents the continuation of human mobility to a place of great significance for the individual or the survivors. This study addresses the determinants of post-mortal mobility, by scrutinizing data from a nationwide questionnaire survey in Sweden. Linking theoretical developments in the field of attachment to place and issues of mortality and deathscapes, this study tries to expand the knowledge concerning individuals’ desires regarding their final act of mobility.

Keywords:

• Mobility
• burials
• place attachment
• Sweden
• questionnaire survey