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Life and Death in Latin American Cities

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The infrastructure of death is an undeniable part of urban life, yet it is often overlooked in the study of cities. This book explores the intricate dynamics between the living and the dead in six ...
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  • 18 November 2025
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The infrastructure of death is an undeniable part of urban life, yet it is often overlooked in the study of cities.

This book explores the intricate dynamics between the living and the dead in six Latin American cities: Bogotá, Medellín, Lima, Buenos Aires, Quetzaltenango and Cuenca. Drawing on more than a decade of ethnographic research, the author investigates how urban death infrastructures — such as cemeteries and spaces for the deceased — are shaped by rapid urbanization, legacies of violence, neoliberal policies and alternative spiritual practices.

With a fresh Global South perspective, this unique contribution will challenge the boundaries of death studies, placing the infrastructure of death at the heart of urban life.

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Price: $119.95
Pages: 228
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Series: Death and Culture
Publication Date: 18 November 2025
ISBN: 9781529245004
Format: Hardcover
BISACs: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Death & Dying, Sociology: death and dying, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / Caribbean & Latin American Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Urban, Urban and municipal planning and policy, Urban communities / city life, Deathcare and funeral industries, Religion: death and dying
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‘An essential and innovative non-Western study, this book offers a compelling examination of urban deathscapes in Latin America, highlighting the relationship between deathcare, culture and urban governance.’ Hajar Ghorbani, University of Alberta
Christien Klaufus is Senior Lecturer of Geography and Urban Studies in the Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation at the University of Amsterdam.

Introduction: Approaches to Deathcare in Latin America

1. Death and the City

2. Caring for the Dead

3. The Self-help Necropolis

4. The Cemetery as Sanctuary

5. Necro-gentrification

Conclusion: The Necropolis at Stake