Cemeteries & The Control of Bodies: A Study of Cemeteries in the City of Hamilton

Focussing on the cemeteries of one community in Canada, Cemeteries and the Control of Bodies, offers a unique sociological look at secu-larization, and the changing roles of cemeteries in modern life. There has been a substantial change in North American cemetery adminis-tration over the last century. Where once cemeteries were predomi-nantly religiously organized, they are now mostly attached to the local municipal government. Concentrating on the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Cemeteries and the Control of Bodies uses primary archival sources and Provincial Acts to map out the changes that have taken place with regards to cemeteries. Drawing upon the works of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber and Michel Foucault, Cemeteries and the Control of Bodies suggests that the change in cemetery administration is connected to the rise of professionalization and bureaucratization, particularly in relation to health and funeral care.