The Materialities of Absence after Stillbirth: Historical Perspectives

Abstract

This chapter explores the way places and objects impact on the everyday lives of parents whose baby died at birth,¹ examining embodied actions which involve ‘stuff’ connected to the deceased baby. More specifically, it asks how concepts like ‘death’, ‘grief’ and the ‘life course’ are performed and what role metaphor might play in making sense of this type of loss.