Life and Death in Latin American Cities

The Necropolis at Stake

Christien Klaufus (University of Amsterdam)

$165.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bristol University Press
11 November 2025

Aspects of religion (non-Christian); Urban communities; Sociology: death & dying; Urban & municipal planning

Series: Death and Culture

The infrastructure of death is an undeniable part of urban life, yet it is often overlooked in the study of cities.

This book explores the intricate dynamics between the living and the dead in six Latin American cities: Bogotá, Medellín, Lima, Buenos Aires, Quetzaltenango and Cuenca. Drawing on more than a decade of ethnographic research, the author investigates how urban death infrastructures - such as cemeteries and spaces for the deceased - are shaped by rapid urbanization, legacies of violence, neoliberal policies and alternative spiritual practices.

With a fresh Global South perspective, this unique contribution will challenge the boundaries of death studies, placing the infrastructure of death at the heart of urban life.

By: Christien Klaufus (University of Amsterdam)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781529245004
ISBN 10: 1529245001
Series: Death and Culture
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 11 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction: Death in Latin America 1. Death in the City: Where the Dead Dwell 2. Disposal Politics: Dead Bodies as Risk and Opportunity 3. Self-help Cemeteries: Faces of Insecurity and Agency 4. Cemetery as Sanctuary: Superstar Saints and Wandering Souls 5. Necro-gentrification: Compactification and Heritage Politics Conclusion: Co-Spatiality of Life and Death

Christien Klaufus is Senior Lecturer of Geography and Urban Studies in the Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation at the University of Amsterdam.

Reviews for Life and Death in Latin American Cities: The Necropolis at Stake

‘An essential and innovative non-Western study, this book offers a compelling examination of urban deathscapes in Latin America, highlighting the relationship between deathcare, culture and urban governance.’ Hajar Ghorbani, University of Alberta