SKU: 10937330580

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains

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The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal RemainsThe meaning of our concern for mortal remains from antiquity through the twentieth century The Greek philosopher Diogenes said that when he died his body should be tossed over the city walls for beasts to scavenge. Why should he or anyone else care what became of his corpse? In The Work of the Dead, acclaimed cultural historian Thomas Laqueur examines why humanity has universally rejected Diogenes's argument. No culture has been indifferent to mortal

The meaning of our concern for mortal remains--from antiquity through the twentieth century

The Greek philosopher Diogenes said that when he died his body should be tossed over the city walls for beasts to scavenge. Why should he or anyone else care what became of his corpse? In The Work of the Dead, acclaimed cultural historian Thomas Laqueur examines why humanity has universally rejected Diogenes's argument. No culture has been indifferent to mortal remains. Even in our supposedly disenchanted scientific age, the dead body still matters--for individuals, communities, and nations. A remarkably ambitious history, The Work of the Dead offers a compelling and richly detailed account of how and why the living have cared for the dead, from antiquity to the twentieth century.

The book draws on a vast range of sources--from mortuary archaeology, medical tracts, letters, songs, poems, and novels to painting and landscapes in order to recover the work that the dead do for the living: making human communities that connect the past and the future. Laqueur shows how the churchyard became the dominant resting place of the dead during the Middle Ages and why the cemetery largely supplanted it during the modern period. He traces how and why since the nineteenth century we have come to gather the names of the dead on great lists and memorials and why being buried without a name has become so disturbing. And finally, he tells how modern cremation, begun as a fantasy of stripping death of its history, ultimately failed--and how even the ashes of the victims of the Holocaust have been preserved in culture.

A fascinating chronicle of how we shape the dead and are in turn shaped by them, this is a landmark work of cultural history.-- "Library Journal"

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 05/08/2018
ISBN: 9780691180939
Pages: 744
Weight: 2.00lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 2.20d
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SKU: 10937330580

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San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Machine works perfectly.
Color: Lavender, Size: 15"x15" 8 in 1
The machine is great, but I noticed that people that purchased the 8 in 1 as I did received stencils for cups, T- shirts, and caps with theirs and I did not receive any; apparently they were to be included and was not, can you help with is?
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Marc K Jean-Lubin
Alexandria, US
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Easy to use
Color: Green, Size: 15"x15" 8 in 1
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Maria ruiz
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Calienta de manera uniforme
Color: Lavender, Size: 15"x15" 8 in 1
Estoy muy satisfecha con esta máquina de calor. Calienta de manera uniforme y mantiene bien la temperatura, lo que ayuda a que los diseños queden con buen acabado. Ha sido fácil de usar incluso para alguien que está comenzando en el mundo de la sublimación y personalización. La he usado para diferentes proyectos y los resultados han sido muy buenos. También me gustó que es resistente y no ocupa demasiado espacio. La recomiendo para personas que quieren iniciar un emprendimiento o ampliar sus trabajos personalizados.
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Nickie P.
Natrona Heights, US
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Slow support
Color: Green, Size: 15"x15" 8 in 1
Seems to work ok. It is lighter than expected which is a plus. Support is very slow from company and did not come with instructions. You have to email them for a pdf copy.
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Beth W.
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Color: Green, Size: 15"x15" 5 in 1
Very clean look to it. Heats great. Very sturdy design. Heats evenly and does great for vinyls, sublimation and dtf. The instructions were clear and easy to read.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2026

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