Everyday photography and mourning in the 21st century

Abstract

The special issue ‘Everyday Photography and Mourning in the 21st Century’ is dedicated to the role of the digital, networked image in mourning practices and examines the intersections between everyday photography, mourning, and technology. This editorial sets the stage by outlining the ways digital technologies change how people mourn the dead and the role of photography in this process. It has been argued that modern Western societies have lost touch with pre-modern mourning rituals and their connection with the dead body. Digital technologies are creating a shift in mourning practices by providing opportunities for acknowledging death, honouring the dead and maintaining relationships to them, and by offering alternative spaces where communities of mourning can gather; especially those that deal with disenfranchised grief. Photography plays a crucial role in these practices. The editorial introduces the special issue articles under two categories: (a) mourning with everyday photographs, and (b) mourning with post-mortem photographs. It then discusses how digital technologies, and the novel mourning practices addressed in the articles contribute to challenging societal conventions and to propelling specific political claims to the forefront; claims related to visibility and justice.