What made the American funeral industry what it is today? Why do we embalm? How do societal status & funeral styles overlap?

Gary Laderman, PhD, is the Goodrich C. White Prof of Amer Religious History & Cultures at Emory University in Georgia, the author of multiple books & featured on The Mortician: an HBO documentary covering a 1980s funeral home who exploited grieving families.

In this episode, you’ll hear how funeral rituals went from DIY to the elaborate & long list of menu options today, how those options supported or detracted from family status, the spooky status of the death worker themselves, how embalming changed everything (hello capitalism!) & the growing resistance towards the commodification of death

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 278: MORBID OR SACRED? LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH (WITH A DEATH DOULA)

Guest:

https://garyladerman.com/

https://www.instagram.com/garyladerman/

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

04:00 — Death for Sale

05:30 — When Death Was a Family Affair

09:20 — Strange Death Rituals in America

12:00 — A Patchwork of Beliefs

13:20 — The Birth of the Funeral Industry

Ep. 340: Funerals in America: Status FOR SALE?