Family and funerals: Taking a relational perspective.

This article explores a number of relational features of a contemporary funeral: content, participation, and commercial choice. In so doing, it uses Finch and Mason's concept of reflexive relationalism to show that the contemporary funeral is an event when familial relationships can be (re)affirmed and rejected. This "doing" of family has methodological implications for the future study of funerals and, it is argued here, this necessarily requires the inclusion of class culture.