Funerary practices in the 1990s
SND-ID: snd0919-1. Version: 2.0. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5878/001581
Associated documentation
Citation
Creator/Principal investigator(s)
Göran Gustafsson - Lund University, Department of Theology
Research principal
Lund University
- Department of Theology
Description
Already at the planning stage of the “Funerary Practices – A Study of Social Differences after Death” project, the fundamental idea was that the main data for the study would be provided by a broad survey of the large majority of all Church of Sweden funerals. It is well-known that the weakening of Christian customs related to service attendance and the use of other Christian practices (baptism, confirmation, and church weddings) is less pronounced when it comes to church funerals.
The ritual form of the church funeral is largely defined through the order of service for funerals in Den svenska kyrkohandboken [approx. The Swedish Church Manual]. However, for several points in the service, the handbook offers alternative forms and the possibility of leaving them out, and the final part of the service mainly depends on whether there will be an earth burial or a cremation. There is hardly any information from previous studies regarding the formulation of the funeral service, and there is no individual information about what happens to the coffin with the deceased after the service.
These facts alo
The ritual form of the church funeral is largely defined through the order of service for funerals in Den svenska kyrkohandboken [approx. The Swedish Church Manual]. However, for several points in the service, the handbook offers alternative forms and the possibility of leaving them out, and the final part of the service mainly depends on whether there will be an earth burial or a cremation. There is hardly any information from previous studies regarding the formulation of the funeral service, and there is no individual information about what happens to the coffin with the deceased after the service.
These facts alone are enough to warrant a study of funerary practices and their variations. The section on funerals in the church manual, which defines the ritual framework for funeral services, begins by observing that the funeral is part of a situation extending from the deathbed to the final leave-taking by the grave. A similar view informed the idea of a broad study of contemporary funerary practices in Sweden: not only - or mainly – would the study focus on the rituals of the church or chapel; it would also examine what goes on before and, to some extent, after the funeral service to the largest possible extent. Above all, it would address the social aspects (broadly interpreted) of funerals not regulated by the church manual or otherwise governed by established regulations.
The raw data for the study is available from LUKA, the Church History Archive of Lund University.
Purpose:
During the second and third quarter of 1997 were an extensive survey material concerning funerals collected at the Department of Theology at University of Lund. The collection was part of a research project on "Funeral Customs - the study of social differences after death" conducted with funding from the Social Science Research Council (SFR). The survey forms provide information on many matters concerning funeral customs of modern Sweden. The questions sought to capture both the social events surrounding the funerals as well as the ritual events of the funeral church services.
The dataset is comprised of an SPSS file, containing coded answers to the study's questionnaire. Show less..
Data contains personal data
No
Language
Unit of analysis
Population
Parish priests
Time Method
Sampling procedure
Seen as a survey of parish priests, the study would constitute a census. Accordingly, the questionnaire should have been sent to 3,132 priests. Those who stated that they were on leave, and thus could not be expected to officiate at funerals, were excluded from the population, giving a total of 3,035 priests.
For a number of pastorates, the position as rector was reported to be vacant. All the letters with questionnaires were sent to individuals and not to someone holding a particular position. This was unproblematic to the extent that other active priests were substituting for a vacant position, but not when a retired priest did so. The result was that the funeral practices of a few pastorates in thinly populated areas, each with the position as rector vacant at the time of the survey, were not included.
Whether “kontraksadjunkter” (approx. deanery curates) should be included in the population was doubtful. They appear to have somewhat different positions in the various dioceses. Apart from any special functions, many of them also have a parish connection; the Finnish-language parish work wit
For a number of pastorates, the position as rector was reported to be vacant. All the letters with questionnaires were sent to individuals and not to someone holding a particular position. This was unproblematic to the extent that other active priests were substituting for a vacant position, but not when a retired priest did so. The result was that the funeral practices of a few pastorates in thinly populated areas, each with the position as rector vacant at the time of the survey, were not included.
Whether “kontraksadjunkter” (approx. deanery curates) should be included in the population was doubtful. They appear to have somewhat different positions in the various dioceses. Apart from any special functions, many of them also have a parish connection; the Finnish-language parish work within the Church of Sweden is largely managed by “kontraktsadjunkter”, which is why this category of priests is included in the survey population.
Another borderline category included was those who were listed as “Other priests”. This category includes priests who, for various reasons, have been hired for personal position; they are hired by the diocese without any diocesan functions but they are not connected to any particular pastorate. They can assume particular duties such as funerals, and are for that reason included in the survey population.
Priests within the Swedish Evangelical Mission (Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen, EFS) were not included in the survey population. The number of annual funerals for the roughly 150 EFS priests listed in the roster is considerably smaller than for priests with a “normal” parish position. A high response rate in this group could have given a somewhat skewed picture of how funerals according to the order of the Church of Sweden are carried out. Show less..
Time period(s) investigated
1997-05 – 1997-12
Variables
129
Number of individuals/objects
3035
Response rate/participation rate
73.1%
Data format / data structure
Geographic spread
Geographic location: Sweden
Lowest geographic unit
Parish
Responsible department/unit
Department of Theology
Research area
Sociology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Philosophy, ethics and religion (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Religious studies (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Ethnology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Religion and values (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Keywords
Gustafsson, Göran (2001). Begravningssed på 1990-talet : materialredovisning och resultatöversikt. Lunds universitets kyrkohistoriska arkiv
Swepub
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Till lärosätets (lu) databas
ISBN:
91-89515-04-8
ISSN:
0455-0196
Gustafsson, Göran (2003). När det sociala kapitalet växlas in: om begravningar och deltagandet i begravningar. Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, Univ.
Swepub
|
Till lärosätets (lu) databas
ISSN:
1651-4432
ISBN:
91-974760-0-5
Dahlgren, Curt och Jan Hermanson (2006). "Här ska min aska vila". Nya platser och riter för gravsättning av aska på andra platser än begravningsplats. Kring begravningar i nutid: tre studier. Curt Dahlgren och Göran Gustafsson (red.). Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, 7-56.
Swepub
|
Publication database of Lund Uni.
ISBN:
91-974760-2-1
ISSN:
1651-4433
Davidsson Bremborg, Anna (2006). Mat och minnen. En studie av samlingar efter begravning.Kring begravningar i nutid: tre studier. Curt Dahlgren och Göran Gustafsson (eds.). Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, 57-84.
Swepub
|
Publication database of Lund Uni
ISSN:
1651-4433
ISBN:
91-974760-2-1
Gustafsson, Göran (2006). Kände prästen den döda? Känner sorgehusen prästen? Om personliga relationer vid begravningar. Kring begravningar i nutid: tre studier. Curt Dahlgren och Göran Gustafsson (eds.). Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, 85-132.
Swepub
|
Publication database of Lund Uni.
ISSN:
1651-4433
ISBN:
91-974760-2-1
Evertsson, Anna J. (2002). "Gå vi till paradis med sång": psalmers funktion i begravningsgudstjänster. Lund Uni.
Gustafsson, Göran (1998). Begravningssamtalet - en studie i kyrklig praxis under 1990-talet. Begravning. Jan-Olof Aggedal (red.). Svenska kyrkans forskningsråd, 129-162.
ISSN:
1101-7937
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