The funeral rite

Death, for humans, ceases to be a natural process and becomes a cultural fact that founds diverse social behaviors, generally materialized in funeral rites. But psychic elements are also involved in this process of human death. In the first chapter of this book theoretical elements from anthropology and sociology are collected to explain the concepts of rite, symbol and representation. The second chapter traces the construction of the concept of disavowal in Sigmund Freud's work, up to the concept of disavowal of death. In the third chapter, the subject of death is approached from an anthropological perspective, explaining the different conceptions and representations surrounding the treatment of the corpse, understood as the main element in funeral rites. Finally, the fourth chapter brings together all these elements to explain how funeral rites become the cultural instance in which the denial of death takes place.