In response to increased academic interest in the fields of death studies, memorial studies, and human and animal studies, Skin, Meaning and Symbolism in Pet Memorials examines the mourning rituals which exist between people and their domestic pets.
Paying close attention to the changing role and increased prominence of the companion animal in the domestic setting, each chapter considers a different form of companion animal memorialization, linking modern practices such as tattooing to historical examples of animal focused memento mori, particularly taxidermy. The final chapter adopts a forward focus in its provision of a framework for future studies related to how death and memorialization rituals are increasingly coming to occupy the digital space. While skin and touch are the focal points of many encounters explored in the text, what becomes evident is how the virtual realm is increasingly intruding into the touch experience. As a result, the posthumous, online afterlives of pets are set to become a social issue of increasing significance to the death and mourning experience.
This work meets the needs of academics, post-graduate students and general readers alike, appealing to anyone with an interest in death studies, popular culture, tattooing and human and animal studies.
Author(s): Racheal Harris
Series: Emerald Studies in Death and Culture
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 232
City: Bingley
Front Cover
Skin, Meaning and Symbolism in Pet Memorials: Tattoos, Taxidermy, and Trinkets
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
List of Figures and Tables
List of Images
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 Humans and Animals: Living and Loving since the Birth of the Pet-keeping Era
1.1. The Birth and Evolution of Pet-Keeping
1.2. Online Society and the Changing Status of Pets
1.3. Conclusion
Chapter 2 Tattooing as Artwork, Language, and Narrative
2.1. The Tattooing Process
2.1.1. Age of the Skin
2.1.2. Exposure to Elements
2.1.3. Placement
2.1.4. Tattoo Artists
2.1.5. Design
2.2. Totemism
2.3. First Renaissance and Stigma
2.4. Second Renaissance and Feminist Perspectives
2.5. Reality Television
2.6. Conclusion
Chapter 3 Memorializing Animals: Meaning and Mourning
3.1. Necklaces
3.2. Bracelets
3.3. Brooches
3.4. Other Mementos
3.5. Conclusion
Chapter 4 Taxidermy: Echoes and Imitations of Life
4.1. New Directions in Taxidermy
4.2. Anthropomorphism
4.3. Conclusion
Chapter 5 A Union of Forms
5.1. Narratives of Ownership: The Human and Animal Body
5.2. Taxidermy: Mounting the Flesh of the Animal
5.3. Taxidermy and Tattoo: Complementary Forms of Artistry
5.4. Dialogs on Animal Grief – Consulting with a Tattoo Artist
5.5. Conclusion
Chapter 6 In the Skin Memorial Tattoos
6.1. Grief and Social Media Sharing Sites
6.2. Data Collection
6.3. Tattoo Designs
6.4. Results
6.5. Conclusion
Chapter 7 Animals Online A New Frontier in Animal Studies?
7.1. Animals as Social Media Influencers
7.2. Narrative Creation
7.3. Interaction
7.4. Elwood
7.5. Aftermath
7.6. Conclusion
Conclusion
References
Index
