Évoquer ses obsèques avec ses enfants : La parole familiale sur la mort au prisme de la prévoyance funéraire

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À partir d'une enquête de terrain réalisée auprès d'une quarantaine de personnes ­ souscripteurs d'un contrat obsèques et certains de leurs enfants ­ l'article porte sur une forme de solidarité familiale singulière, la prévoyance funéraire. Cet objet d'étude permet d'appréhender la parole familiale sur la mort, encore peu explorée par les sociologues, à travers les stratégies discursives des souscripteurs pour informer leur(s) enfant(s) des démarches entreprises et de leurs volontés funéraires. De plus, l'article montre en quoi parents et enfants ont un intérêt mutuel à tenir à l'écart la logique comptable. La minimisation des aspects marchands entraîne chez les enfants une posture de retrait caractérisée par l'expression d'un principe de respect du libre choix des parents concernant leurs dernières volontés, et par une certaine retenue en cas de réserves ou de désaccord.Addressing One's Own Funeral with the Children. Funeral Planning and Family Discussions on DeathThis article is based on empirical data from a qualitative study, and more specifically on more than 40 semi-directive interviews with French ageing people who subscribed a funeral plan, and some of their children. It focuses on a singular kind of family solidarity, funeral planning. By exploring the discursive strategies of the subscribers to inform their children about their initiatives and their funeral wishes, it seeks to analyse the way death is addressed within the family sphere ­ a topic little explored by sociologists. Moreover, the article explains why parents and children have a mutual interest in keeping at a distance the financial details of funeral planning. The concealment of its economic dimension leads children to express both respect for the funeral wishes of their parents, and cautiousness in case of reservations or disagreement.

Addressing One’s Own Funeral with the Children. Funeral Planning and Family Discussions on DeathThis article is based on empirical data from a qualitative study, and more specifically on more than 40 semi-directive interviews with French ageing people who subscribed a funeral plan, and some of their children. It focuses on a singular kind of family solidarity, funeral planning. By exploring the discursive strategies of the subscribers to inform their children about their initiatives and their funeral wishes, it seeks to analyse the way death is addressed within the family sphere – a topic little explored by sociologists. Moreover, the article explains why parents and children have a mutual interest in keeping at a distance the financial details of funeral planning. The concealment of its economic dimension leads children to express both respect for the funeral wishes of their parents, and cautiousness in case of reservations or disagreement.