Death and Funeral Practices in Poland

This book provides a shortform definitive reference text on funerary practice in Poland. An overview of the important features of the Polish funeral law, funerals, cremations, cemeteries, and funeral industry, the book also covers the demographic characteristic of mortality in Poland. Drawing on original empirical research, the book is interdisciplinary, which facilitates further transnational comparative research on this important topic. It is the first book to offer a broad look at the evolution and current status of Polish funerary practices. It provides an essential summary to researchers with an interest in funeral practices in Poland. Some of the areas explored are the country's historical development, the contemporary legal framework and how Poland manages its cemeteries, crematoria and other death spaces. Built on original ethnographic research conducted by the authors, this book interprets the predominance of Catholic funerals, examines the relatively recent history of cremation, and contextualizes the practices of commemoration and memoralisation. This interdisciplinary book will be of interest to academics, policymakers and practitioners interested in the historic, geographic, demographic, (multi)cultural and political context in which the funerary practices in Poland have developed, as well as the technical and professional aspects of the industry.

Anna E. Kubiak is a Professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, and a Lecturer at the Graduate School for Social Research, Warsaw, Poland. Anna Dlugozima is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at WULS, Warsaw, Poland. Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka works at the Faculty of Law and Economics at Kazimierz Wielki University, Poland.

1. Poland: Introduction Anna Dlugozima, Anna E. Kubiak and Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka 2. History Anna E. Kubiak, Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka and Anna Dlugozima 3. Mortality Piotr Szukalski 4. Legal Framework of Funerals and Cemeteries Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka and Anna Dlugozima 5. Governance Anna Dlugozima and Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka 6. Religious Beliefs and Funerary Practices of the Churches Anna E. Kubiak and Anna Dlugozima 7. The Funeral Industry Anna E. Kubiak 8.The Funeral Anna E. Kubiak 9. Funeral Costs Anna Dlugozima 10. Cemeteries, Burial Sites, and Graves Anna Dlugozima 11. Cremation Anna E. Kubiak and Anna Dlugozima 12. Commemoration and Memorialisation Anna Dlugozima and Agnieszka Wedel-Domaradzka 13. Protecting Funerary Heritage Anna Dlugozima