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MORTUARY RITES IN COVID-19: MOURNING & BURIAL RITES OF MIGRANTS IN NORTHERN PUNJAB
Corresponding Author(s) : Aneela Sultana
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 9 No. 3 (2021): May
Abstract
Purpose of the study: This study aims to highlight how death serves as a central feature of social ties among the natives of Northern Punjab. Death is a great leveller and one of the most curious aspects of human cognition. Bereavement follows the terminal rites de passage; the transition of the deceased from this world to the other world.
Methodology: By using an inductive approach, the ethnographic account of the most significant rite of passage; death was gathered. The primary data is based on case-based narratives and empirical findings gathered during in-depth interviews and participant observation at the locale. A total of thirteen cases of death migrants are discussed in this paper.
Main Findings: The findings reveal the social pressures the family of the deceased encountered in the pre and post-death phase both in the country of origin and in the country of destination, how horrors of COVID-19 infection kept the entire bereaved families at a halt to decide their funerary rituals, pandemic’s effect on the body’s postmortem clearance and death certificate, arrangement for the morgue and grave while the decision of burial was in process, familial politics engaged in decision making, the journey back to the native soil, the burial, mourning, condolence and bereavement rituals of Potohar.
Applications of this study: This paper solely focuses on the death rituals of migrants from the Northern Punjab region in COVID-19. The study provides an understanding of the religio-cultural rituals and their transformation in the global pandemic.
Novelty/Originality of this study: The researcher has prepared an account of the death rituals based on the close observations and in-depth insights during the mortuary rites of migrants who expired during the pandemic COVID-19 during doctoral research. No such research has been carried out in Potohar (Northern Punjab) in this context.
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- Aksoz-Efe, I., Erdur-Baker, O., & Servaty-Seib, H. (2018). Death rituals, religious beliefs, and grief of Turkish women. Death Studies, 42(9), 579-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407379
- Boyd, M., & Nowak, J. (2012). Social Networks and International Migration. In M. Martiniello, & J. Rath, An Introduction to International Migration Studies (pp. 77-103). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
- Butler, J. (2004). Precarious life: The powers of mourning and violence. London: Verso. London: Verso. ISBN 1844675440, 9781844675449
- Chakraborty, I., & Maity, P. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak: Migration, effects on society, global environment and prevention. , 728, 138882. Science of the Total Environment, 728, 138882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scito tenv.2020.138882 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138882
- Chaudhry, A. G., & Zeeshan, M. (2019). Migration’s Impacts on Diminishing Lingual Heritage. Global Language Review, 4(1), 60-65. https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-I).08 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-I).08
- Cohen, A. B. (2015). Religion’s profound influences on psychology: Morality, intergroup relations, self-construal, and enculturation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 77-81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0 963721414553265 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414553265
- Drefahl, S., Wallace, M., Mussino, E., Aradhya, S., Kolk, M., Branden M., Malmberg., B & Andersson., G. (2020). A population-based cohort study of socio-demographic risk factors for COVID-19 deaths in Sweden. Nature Community. 11, 5097. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18926-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18926-3
- Engle, K. (2007). Putting mourning to work: Making sense of 9/11. Theory, Culture & Society, 24(1), 61-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407071570 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407071570
- Entress, R. M., Tyler, J., & Sadiq, A. A. (2020). Managing Mass Fatalities during COVIDâ€19: Lessons for Promoting Community Resilience during Global Pandemics. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 856-861. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13232
- Fregoso, R. L. (2017). The dead in life in Mexico. In Disappearances. Local uses, global circulations (p. 6). University of Los Andes.
- Fregoso, R. L. (2020). Stolen lives: What the dead teach us. Death Studies, 44(11), 736-745. https://doi.org/10.10 80/07481187.2020.1771856 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771856
- Gatti, G., & Martınez, M. (2020). Dead in life. Lives pierced by death. Death Studies, 44(11), 677-680. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771850
- Goh, B. (2020). “No Farewells, No Ceremoniesâ€: China's Hubei Cremates Coronavirus Dead. Reuters, March 29. https://www.reuters.com/article/usâ€healthâ€coronavirusâ€chinaâ€cremation/noâ€farewellsâ€noâ€ceremoniesâ€chinasâ€hubeiâ€crematesâ€coronavirusâ€deadâ€idUSKBN21G0YT [accessed March 19, 2021].
- Hussain, M. K., Zeeshan, M., & Houswitschka, C. (2019). Agha Shahid Ali: Hyphenated Identities as a Tool for Understanding the Diasporic Sensibility. Global Language Review, 4(2), 19-24. https://doi.org/10.31703/gl r.2019(IV-II).04 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-II).04
- IOM. (2020, April 02). COVID-19 Analytical Snapshot #6: Stigmatization and discrimination,Understanding the migration & mobility implications of COVID-19. Retrieved February 5, 2020, from www.iom.int: https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/our_work/ICP/MPR/covid-19_analytical_snapshot_6_-_stigmatization _and_discrimination
- Khan, S. E., Chaudhry, A. G., & Zeeshan, M. (2020). COVID-19. Studying Policy Gap in Relation to Role of Primary Health Care in Pakistan. Global Social Sciences Review, 5 (2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).01
- Kleinman, A. (2012). Culture, Bereavement, and Psychiatry. The Lancet, 379(9816), 608-609. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60258-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60258-X
- Lex, B. (1979). Neurobiology of ritual trance. In I. C. (Ed.), The spectrum of ritual (pp. 117-151). New York: Columbia University Press.
- Majali, S. (2014). Majali, S. (2014). Rites de Passage: Birth, Death and Bereavement. In G. H. Rassool (Ed.), Cultural Competence in Caring for Muslim Patients (pp. 239-254). New York: Palgrave Mcmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-35841-7_15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-35841-7_15
- Manderson, L & Levine, S. (2020). COVID-19, Risk, Fear, and Fall-out, Medical Anthropology, 39(5), 367-370, https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1746301 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1746301
- Nature. (2020). Tackle Coronavirus in Vulnerable Communities. Editorial. Nature, 581, 239-240. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01440-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01440-3
- Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., & Young, W. (2015). Introduction. In, Death. In Parkes, C. M., Pittu, L. & Young, B. Death and Bereavement Across Cultures (pp. 2-9). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315721088-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315721088-2
- Rosenblatt, P. C. (2008). Grief across cultures: A review and research agenda. In M. S. Stroebe, R. O. Hansson, H. Schut, & W. Stroebe (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research and practice: Advances in theory and intervention (pp. 207-222). Washington: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14498-010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/14498-010
- Rossenblat, P. C. (2014). In the Experience, Expression, and Understanding of Grief. In D. P. Irish, K. F. Lundquist, & V. J. Nelsen (Eds.), Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief: Diversity in universality (pp. 13-20). Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
- Scheper-Hughes, N., & Bourgois, P. (2004). Violence in war and peace: An Anthology (Vol. 5). Mountaineers Books.
- Willems, Eva (2018). Desapariciones: Usos Locales, Circulaciones Globales ed. by Gatti, G. Human Rights Quarterly, 40(1), 229–233. https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2018.0010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2018.0010
- Wehbe-Alamah, H. (2008). Bridging generic and professional care practices for Muslim patients through use of Leininger’s culture care modes. Contemporary Nurse, 28(1-2), 83-97. https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.83 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.83
- Zeeshan, M., & Sultana, A. (2020). Return Migration to Pakistan during COVID19 Pandemic: Unmaking the Challenges. Pakistan Perspectives, 25(1), 129-148. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3697875
- Zeeshan, M., Chaudhry, A. G., & Khan, S. E. (2020). Unmaking the Anthropology of Mourning in a Psycho Analytical. Global Regional Review, 5(1), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).13
- Zeeshan, M., Sultana, A., & Anzak, S. (2020). COVID19 Pandemic: Implications of Public Health Emergency on Migration and Repatriation in Pakistan. Global Regional Review, V(II), 20-29. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-II).03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-II).03
- Zembylas, L. (2011). Mourning and forgiveness as sites of reconciliation. Bioethical Inquiry, 8, 257-265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-011-9316-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-011-9316-0
References
Aksoz-Efe, I., Erdur-Baker, O., & Servaty-Seib, H. (2018). Death rituals, religious beliefs, and grief of Turkish women. Death Studies, 42(9), 579-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407379
Boyd, M., & Nowak, J. (2012). Social Networks and International Migration. In M. Martiniello, & J. Rath, An Introduction to International Migration Studies (pp. 77-103). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Butler, J. (2004). Precarious life: The powers of mourning and violence. London: Verso. London: Verso. ISBN 1844675440, 9781844675449
Chakraborty, I., & Maity, P. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak: Migration, effects on society, global environment and prevention. , 728, 138882. Science of the Total Environment, 728, 138882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scito tenv.2020.138882 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138882
Chaudhry, A. G., & Zeeshan, M. (2019). Migration’s Impacts on Diminishing Lingual Heritage. Global Language Review, 4(1), 60-65. https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-I).08 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-I).08
Cohen, A. B. (2015). Religion’s profound influences on psychology: Morality, intergroup relations, self-construal, and enculturation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 77-81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0 963721414553265 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414553265
Drefahl, S., Wallace, M., Mussino, E., Aradhya, S., Kolk, M., Branden M., Malmberg., B & Andersson., G. (2020). A population-based cohort study of socio-demographic risk factors for COVID-19 deaths in Sweden. Nature Community. 11, 5097. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18926-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18926-3
Engle, K. (2007). Putting mourning to work: Making sense of 9/11. Theory, Culture & Society, 24(1), 61-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407071570 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407071570
Entress, R. M., Tyler, J., & Sadiq, A. A. (2020). Managing Mass Fatalities during COVIDâ€19: Lessons for Promoting Community Resilience during Global Pandemics. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 856-861. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13232
Fregoso, R. L. (2017). The dead in life in Mexico. In Disappearances. Local uses, global circulations (p. 6). University of Los Andes.
Fregoso, R. L. (2020). Stolen lives: What the dead teach us. Death Studies, 44(11), 736-745. https://doi.org/10.10 80/07481187.2020.1771856 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771856
Gatti, G., & Martınez, M. (2020). Dead in life. Lives pierced by death. Death Studies, 44(11), 677-680. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1771850
Goh, B. (2020). “No Farewells, No Ceremoniesâ€: China's Hubei Cremates Coronavirus Dead. Reuters, March 29. https://www.reuters.com/article/usâ€healthâ€coronavirusâ€chinaâ€cremation/noâ€farewellsâ€noâ€ceremoniesâ€chinasâ€hubeiâ€crematesâ€coronavirusâ€deadâ€idUSKBN21G0YT [accessed March 19, 2021].
Hussain, M. K., Zeeshan, M., & Houswitschka, C. (2019). Agha Shahid Ali: Hyphenated Identities as a Tool for Understanding the Diasporic Sensibility. Global Language Review, 4(2), 19-24. https://doi.org/10.31703/gl r.2019(IV-II).04 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2019(IV-II).04
IOM. (2020, April 02). COVID-19 Analytical Snapshot #6: Stigmatization and discrimination,Understanding the migration & mobility implications of COVID-19. Retrieved February 5, 2020, from www.iom.int: https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/our_work/ICP/MPR/covid-19_analytical_snapshot_6_-_stigmatization _and_discrimination
Khan, S. E., Chaudhry, A. G., & Zeeshan, M. (2020). COVID-19. Studying Policy Gap in Relation to Role of Primary Health Care in Pakistan. Global Social Sciences Review, 5 (2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).01
Kleinman, A. (2012). Culture, Bereavement, and Psychiatry. The Lancet, 379(9816), 608-609. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60258-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60258-X
Lex, B. (1979). Neurobiology of ritual trance. In I. C. (Ed.), The spectrum of ritual (pp. 117-151). New York: Columbia University Press.
Majali, S. (2014). Majali, S. (2014). Rites de Passage: Birth, Death and Bereavement. In G. H. Rassool (Ed.), Cultural Competence in Caring for Muslim Patients (pp. 239-254). New York: Palgrave Mcmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-35841-7_15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-35841-7_15
Manderson, L & Levine, S. (2020). COVID-19, Risk, Fear, and Fall-out, Medical Anthropology, 39(5), 367-370, https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1746301 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1746301
Nature. (2020). Tackle Coronavirus in Vulnerable Communities. Editorial. Nature, 581, 239-240. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01440-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01440-3
Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., & Young, W. (2015). Introduction. In, Death. In Parkes, C. M., Pittu, L. & Young, B. Death and Bereavement Across Cultures (pp. 2-9). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315721088-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315721088-2
Rosenblatt, P. C. (2008). Grief across cultures: A review and research agenda. In M. S. Stroebe, R. O. Hansson, H. Schut, & W. Stroebe (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research and practice: Advances in theory and intervention (pp. 207-222). Washington: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14498-010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/14498-010
Rossenblat, P. C. (2014). In the Experience, Expression, and Understanding of Grief. In D. P. Irish, K. F. Lundquist, & V. J. Nelsen (Eds.), Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief: Diversity in universality (pp. 13-20). Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
Scheper-Hughes, N., & Bourgois, P. (2004). Violence in war and peace: An Anthology (Vol. 5). Mountaineers Books.
Willems, Eva (2018). Desapariciones: Usos Locales, Circulaciones Globales ed. by Gatti, G. Human Rights Quarterly, 40(1), 229–233. https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2018.0010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2018.0010
Wehbe-Alamah, H. (2008). Bridging generic and professional care practices for Muslim patients through use of Leininger’s culture care modes. Contemporary Nurse, 28(1-2), 83-97. https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.83 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.83
Zeeshan, M., & Sultana, A. (2020). Return Migration to Pakistan during COVID19 Pandemic: Unmaking the Challenges. Pakistan Perspectives, 25(1), 129-148. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3697875
Zeeshan, M., Chaudhry, A. G., & Khan, S. E. (2020). Unmaking the Anthropology of Mourning in a Psycho Analytical. Global Regional Review, 5(1), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).13
Zeeshan, M., Sultana, A., & Anzak, S. (2020). COVID19 Pandemic: Implications of Public Health Emergency on Migration and Repatriation in Pakistan. Global Regional Review, V(II), 20-29. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-II).03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-II).03
Zembylas, L. (2011). Mourning and forgiveness as sites of reconciliation. Bioethical Inquiry, 8, 257-265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-011-9316-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-011-9316-0