Hidden labour in funeral directing: providing care to ‘difficult’ dead bodies

ABSTRACT

This article uses the case study of Ian Brady to examine the previously hidden forms of labour that funeral directors do in managing the remains of particularly controversial criminals. Specifically, we extend the concept of the ‘difficult dead’, which we use to describe those that have offended both legal and moral codes by defiling particularly vulnerable victims in life. This offending makes their remains ‘dirty’ and difficult to classify among other remains. They must be kept separate and controlled as an ‘other’ as they risk contaminating the public. With this in mind, the article argues that funeral directors conduct extra, hidden forms of labour in navigating the risk of becoming contaminated by the dirt attached to the remains of the difficult dead. We make three contributions. First, we drive forward the valuable intersection between criminology and death studies, which has overlooked the ramifications that ‘difficult’ dead bodies have on the labour of death professionals. Second, we highlight some of the limits in current funerary codes of practice. Third, we generate a starting point for a discussion on the labour of funeral directors when attempting to care for the remains of difficult offenders.

KEYWORDS:

• Difficult Dead
• disposal
• funeral Director
• criminal
• labour

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel Robins

Daniel Robins is a PhD researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University of York, England. Daniel’s research focuses on how the waste materials of the corpse are managed as they pass through the corpse disposal cultures of cremation and/or natural burial. His research speaks to current debates concerning the relationship between disposal, waste, and value.

Rosie Smith

Rosie Smith is Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at the Department of Social Sciences, York St John University, England. Her research examines topics such as: criminal justice, media, crime, death and social theory.