Obituaries as Family Assemblages

Abstract

Obituaries or death announcements in newspapers are examined as the traces (cf. Latour, 2007) of rules that guide the formation of family assemblages, which in turn are thought to mark social bonds between assembled persons. Connectedness manifested by obituaries does not necessarily mean emotional closeness; instead its essential element is the genealogy that generates social bonds. This is examined here with the rule of genealogical proximity, but also with other rules that organize these ties, some to such an extent that they intrude into the workings of the rule of genealogical proximity. The rule of monogamy is such a rule and so is the rule of equality. These are the three rules that are examined in this chapter.