Life after death in modern societies: traditions and new practices. An introduction to the issue's special theme

The article analyses the current state of funeral rituals and new trends in burial and commemorative practices in different cultures. Many of the observed novelties are the result of social and cultural changes, demographic processes, and economic factors. Relatives of the deceased, who live far from burial sites and are thus not able to follow traditional practices of looking after the graves, find a way out installing new types of monuments or turning to new types of burial (for example, at 'forest cemeteries') that do not require constant care and large investments. The number of anonymous burials is also rising. In addition, memorial sites are being increasingly used for new purposes, such as 'dark tourism', turning into 'empty forms'. New commemorative practices are emerging inspired by archaic, indigenous forms of worshiping the dead, for example, the cult of the Holy Death in Mexico. All these processes indicate a deep need for maintaining a variety of ways of communicating with the dead, which does not disappear even in the post-industrial society.

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