Essay
Essay Environmental History
- Module
- Environmental History
- Institution
- University Of Derby (UoD)
Essay answering the question: How much, and in what ways, did nineteenth-century cemeteries function as Heterotopias
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
100471457 How much, and in what ways, did nineteenth-century cemeteries
function as Heterotopias?
In 1984 controversial French philosopher Michel Foucault’s work Des Espace Autres was first
released into the public domain, based upon a lecture Foucault delivered in 1967 this text
was not officially reviewed by the author himself. However, it is from this text we are
introduced to Foucault’s concepts of space, utopias and heterotopias. Within this essay, the
elaborate concept of heterotopias will be focused upon in relation to the transformation of
landscapes of internment and the rise of cemeteries during the nineteenth century.
Heterotopias are complex multi-faceted spaces which mirror the outside world but also
distinguish themselves from the outside, it is a world within a world. 1 These spaces are often
indistinguishable and seen as natural by the people that use them however, these spaces
are critical in the formation of private and group identities as they enforce a structure upon
those within them.2 Foucault distinguishes his theories of a utopia and heterotopia against
one another to illustrate the reality of his concept. Using a mirror Foucault explains how a
utopia is a reflection of reality not what it is but instead what it should be a ‘placeless place’,
however, the mirror is also a heterotopia a world outside of reality but still connected to it. 3
Within his definition of a heterotopia, Foucault highlights six principles in order to envision
and theorises these diverse spaces. Despite this ‘there are three broader elements of
heterotopia: representation, contestation, and inversion.’4 To be able to illustrate how
much, and in what ways, nineteenth-century cemeteries acted and functioned as
heterotopias this essay will explore the representation, contestation and inversion of these
landscapes. To begin this essay will explore how the cemetery is a heterotopia as it is a
representation of several spaces that juxtapose each other, this is in relation to Foucault’s
third principle of Heterotopias. Following on from this, this essay will focus on contestation
and how cemeteries disrupted social processes, henceforth creating a real and illusory
space. To conclude, nineteenth-century cemeteries will be discussed as an inverted space
that despite being different is directly connected to wider society’s views and beliefs.
Before discussing the representation of the cemetery as a heterotopia it is important to
highlight the transformation that was taking place in landscapes of internment during the
early nineteenth century. During the years 1830-50, the industrial revolution had its most
prominent impact on mortality rates in urban areas and cities, squalid living conditions saw
1
Robert Topinka, ‘Foucault, Borges, Heterotopia: Producing Knowledge in Other Spaces.’, Foucault Studies,
Issue.9, (2010) p.62
2
P. Johnson, ‘Unravelling Foucault’s Different spaces.’, History of the Human Sciences, Vol.19, Issue 4, (2006)
p.79
3
M. Dehaene, ‘Heterotopia and the City: Public Space in a Post-civil Society.’ (Milton Park, Routledge, 2015)
p.87
Kevin Hetherington, ‘The Badlands of Modernity: Heterotopia and Social Ordering.’ (London, Routledge, 1997)
p.21
4
Noor-Ul-Ain Sajjad, ‘Private Heterotopia and the Public Space.’, Sage Open Journals, (2019) pp.65-91
, disease claim the lives of many especially young children. 5 Churchyards quickly became
overwhelmed and ran out of space to bury bodies. Published in a chronicle in 1838 the
observer shares that ‘the state of the churchyards of the metropolis is at once disgusting
and dangerous, and calls loudly for Legislative interference.’ 6 From 1830 onwards a deeper
understanding of public health resulted in new sanitary reforms geared toward the hygienic
management of burial spaces, cemeteries were created as a response to this issue. 7
However, the creation of cemeteries did not come without any resistance. During the
eighteenth century, Britain was a predominantly Christian nation that believed the soul lived
on once the body had died and reflected this belief in the churchyard's moral and religious
safe space.8 Resistance to cemeteries was predominantly religious despite the need for
urgent change. In order to appeal to the church’s apprehensions cemeteries were made
moral landscapes that had to adhere to centralised laws around burial which were no longer
permissive.9 Nineteenth-century cemeteries transformed the previous eighteenth-century
burial culture of the churchyard into a new moral and social landscape which had its own
sets of laws.
In their description, a heterotopia is a space that has multiple meanings and ‘death has the
power to create a heterotopia, that is, the layering of meanings at a single material site.’ 10
Nineteenth-century cemeteries can be organised into three spaces that each have different
meanings that layer upon each other connecting both the internal and external factors
surrounding the cemetery. In order to analyse how cemeteries during this period
represented several different spaces in one place the three different organisations of the
cemeteries space will be explored.
First, the cemetery was a public space where the management of death established a
connection between the external space and the cemetery’s internal conceptualisation. 11
During the nineteenth century, external social practices and beliefs surrounding death
shaped how the space within the cemetery was represented. An example of this
representation can be seen in the design of cemetery landscapes, the planting of landscapes
of internment was indicative of external social beliefs of what a cemetery should look like
and represent within. While the design of burial landscapes had transformed from the
lonely English tree in the eighteenth-century churchyard to the open pleasure-ground like
5
Romola Davenport, ‘Urbanization and Mortality in Britain: 1800-50.’, The Economic History Review, vol.73, Issue 2, (2020)
pp. 455-485
6
Extract from Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, September 9 th 1838
7
Paul Cloke, ‘Turning in the Graveyard: Trees and the hybrid Geographies of dwelling, monitoring and resistance in
cemeteries.’, Cultural Geographies, Vol.11, No.3, (2004) p. 319
8
Julie Rugg, ‘Defining the place of Burial: What makes a cemetery a cemetery?’, Taylor& Francis, Vol.5, Issue 3, (2000) p.
263
9
Julie Rugg, ‘Defining the place of Burial: What makes a cemetery a cemetery?’, Taylor& Francis, Vol.5, Issue 3, (2000) p.
260
10
J. D. Faubion, ‘Aesthetics, Methods, and Epistemology: Essential Works of Foucault.’ (London, Penguin, 1998) p.175
11
Paul Clements, ‘Highgate Cemetery Heterotopia: A creative Counter public Space.’, Sage Journals, Vol.20, Issue 4, (2017)
pp. 470
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller isabellasmith1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
69988 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now