The Work of the Dead, with Thomas W. Laqueur [MIPodcast #51]

Maxwell Institute Podcast

Christianity, Education, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 16 August 2016

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What good is a dead body? How have humans cared for dead bodies through the ages and why do we do it? What do dead bodies tell us about the things we value most and about the things we’re afraid of? All of us will be dead bodies someday, so these questions are relevant for everyone. The answers constitute what cultural historian Thomas Laqueur calls “the work of the dead.” Laqueur dug into records both ancient and contemporary to craft his fascinating new book The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains. About the Guest Thomas W. Laqueur is the Helen Fawcett Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley. He’s written histories about the human body and gender. His latest book is The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the Maxwell Institute podcast.
0:03.9	I'm Blair Hodges.
0:05.7	What good is a dead body?
0:07.9	What kind of work do dead bodies do?
0:10.2	How have humans cared for dead bodies through the ages?
0:12.8	And why do we do it?
0:14.1	What do dead bodies tell us about the things we value most and about the things we're afraid of?
0:19.1	All of us will be dead someday.
0:21.6	So these questions are relevant for everyone. Cultural historian Thomas Lacour has dug into records, both ancient
0:27.1	and contemporary, in order to answer these questions in his new book, The Work of the Dead,
0:31.9	a cultural history of mortal remains. In this episode, LeCore joins us to tell the story of how
0:36.9	the churchyard became
0:38.0	the dominant resting place of the dead during the Middle Ages, and then we'll trace the rise of
0:42.3	the cemetery that we're more familiar with today. We'll also talk about why people gather the
0:46.6	names of the dead on great lists and memorials, something ancient people seldom did. It's Thomas
0:52.2	Lacourne talking about the work of the dead on the Maxwell Institute
0:55.3	podcast. Questions and comments about this and other episodes can be sent to MIP Podcast at
1:01.4	BYU.edu. And if you have a moment, please go to iTunes and rate and review the show and let your
1:06.7	friends know that you listen to the Maxwell Institute podcast.
1:11.0	Thomas LeCour, welcome to the Maxwell Institute podcast.
1:13.5	It's good to be with you.
1:14.5	It's good to be with you.
	...

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