Funerary Justice: Reflections on Migration, the Postsecular and the Urban

The article uses the case study of funerary provisions for migrants and minorities in mid-sized towns in Northern Europe to argue for a stronger social-ethical agenda in theorizing the postsecular, supplementing the dominant emphasis on descriptive sociological analysis. The article highlights the vulnerability of migrant and minority groups in the exercise of their freedom of funerary ritual expression and representation, and with it threats to the religious vitality that is characteristic of postsecular urban spaces. It argues for a broadening of perspectives to include smaller, less visible and organized migrant and minority groups, and advocates a more supportive role of governments and society for the funerary needs of migrants and minorities (“funerary justice”).