The construction of social identity tombs of specialists at san josé de moro, jequetepeque valley, perú

Carlos Rengifo Chunga, Luis Jaime Castillo

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Death is a universal phenomenon that all societies-and the individuals of which they are composed-must confront both intellectually and practically. Unlike the deeds and activities that determine everyday life, death is a relatively isolated phenomenon; that is to say, unlike everyday activities, death forces us to think how to proceed, of the consequences of the actions we must take, and the memory we wish to retrieve. Thus being as much a series of emotional reactions as patterned behaviour, our relationship with death can generate meaning-laden behaviours that become expressed through actions, reactions and decisions determined by the prevailing ideological conditions for specific situations and moments in time, as well as socially accumulated experience that serves as a basis for archetypes, individual cases, the requirements of specialists and/or eschatological beliefs (Barley 2000; Huntington and Metcalf 1979; Parker Pearson 2002; O’Shea 1981, 1984). Although death brings about a set of behaviours that embody notions concerning the transition and destiny of the deceased individual, a more tangible expression thereof may be found in the planning and construction of the tomb, the positioning of the body therein and associated objects that go to make up the grave goods (Castillo 2000; DeMarrais et al. 1996). Confronted with need to express the nature (or character) of the deceased, while trying to convert an abstract concept into a material formula, it is necessary to choose, decide and represent. The construction and i nishing of a tomb is a process of representation, where one more or less consciously recreates a formula of reality; in other words, the essence of the individual is represented through manipulation of a series of symbols. The inclusion or omission of these symbolic artefacts is dependent on the discourse that is created ‘by’ and ‘for’ the audience, whether human or divine, and-in the latter case-in the construction of the deceased person’s identity.
Original languageSpanish
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2015

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