Private Sorrow in the Public Domain: The Growing Phenomenon of Roadside Memorials

It is concluded that much of the current literature on bereavement is quantitative and reports research undertaken from an individualist, psychological perspective, and that current research into roadside memorials is from an historical, geographic, cultural or even statistical perspective. In contrast this paper argues for more qualitative sociological research into the role of roadside memorials, taking into account more recent theoretical accounts of grief. Such an approach could explore the meaning and importance of roadside memorials for grieving people, especially if it is underpinned by the theoretical perspectives of Heidegger's hermeneutics, phenomenology and interpretivism (1). When coupled with critical social work theory this research approach offers a promising way forward with the possibility of linking personal troubles with public issues. (2) As well as enhancing understanding about the grieving process, such research would produce useful outcomes for professionals working with those who grieve, and inform policy and legislative developments around roadside memorial construction. INTRODUCTION Bereavement is a core field of practice for social workers and other health professionals. The grieving process has come under the spotlight recently, with the inclusion of acute grief reactions that last more than twelve months in the 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5). This potentially turns a normal human response to the death of a loved person into a classifiable psychiatric disorder. Grief and loss, bereavement, thanatology--the time is ripe for research into this field. I have been considering this actual topic of bereavement and roadside memorials for a number of years after a public outcry when a local council put in a motion to remove roadside crosses and ban further ones being erected. They were perceived as being a negative sign for tourists and holidaymakers, as well as an eyesore. In addition, they were seen as a distraction and a potential danger to others. The council was forced to abandon this motion; many gained comfort or solace from these reminders of mortality on the roadside. These roadside memorials take on almost a 'sacred site' meaning, marking the precise spot where a loved one passed from life to death. The placement of roadside memorials has become a growing social phenomenon in recent years, across different cultures and countries. It is an issue which has become controversial, and has been attracting considerable media attention in Australia--through talk back radio, TV programs such as Compass, newspaper articles, academic research and journal articles and so on. There is evidence that death along the roadside has been marked in the ancient world, so it is by no means a new phenomenon. What is new is the rate at which they are appearing. (3) The field of thanatology, the scientific study of death and practices associated with it (4) has undergone gradual changes in recent times. Freud (5) is regarded as one of the leading theorists on grief and loss, with his beliefs entrenched in the psychoanalytic school of thought. He viewed grief as "something that would free the ego from attachment to the deceased and, in so doing, allow new attachments to be formed. " (6) Freud also saw grief as a 'disease', and a passive state, which would eventually pass. Bowlby looked at the process of mourning and is renowned for his 'attachment theory', a model of grief extrapolated from the attachment and bonding process of children to their parents (or primary care-giver) and vice versa. (7) Attachment theory has broadened our understanding and knowledge of the grief process. It is because we love that we grieve, it is the breaking of these attachments and bonds that join us to others that is so painful. Like many other theorists, Bowlby described phases of mourning--numbness; yearning, searching and anger; disorganisation and despair; and reorganisation. …