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Technologies of the HIV/AIDS corpse.
1Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath, England. j.troyer@bath.ac.uk
Medical Anthropology
|May 11, 2010
Summary
The emergence of HIV/AIDS corpses challenged funeral directors, prompting changes in how the dead are handled. This re-examination explores the productive potential of the dead body and its impact on the funeral service industry.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Death
- Medical Sociology
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- The early 1980s saw a rise in deaths among gay men and intravenous drug users due to HIV/AIDS.
- This led to unprecedented challenges for funeral directors and established practices for handling the deceased.
Observation:
- The HIV/AIDS corpse presented a direct challenge to institutional controls within the funeral service industry.
- Funeral directors' established methods for normalizing and transforming the dead body were tested.
Findings:
- The article examines the "HIV/AIDS corpse" and its institutional effects on the US funeral service industry.
- It utilizes the theoretical concept of "technologies of the corpse"—machines, laws, and institutions—to analyze control and transformation.
- The study reveals how these challenges created a unique "dead body" with political possibilities.
Implications:
- The response to HIV/AIDS corpses offers insights into the productive potential of the dead human body.
- It highlights the political possibilities for queer bodies and broader understandings of human death.
- The findings contribute to understanding how societal crises reshape professional practices and cultural norms surrounding death.
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