Graves, gifts, and the bereaved consumer

A Restorative Perspective of Gift Exchange

Bibliographic Data

ID2166067
AuthorsJenna Drenten (0000-0001-9718-3437, Department of Marketing, Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA, corresponding author), Kristy Mcmanus (0000-0002-7855-6733, University of Georgia), Lauren I Labrecque (0000-0002-3914-6707, Department of Marketing, Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA)
Year2017
Volume20
Issue5
Pages423-455
Publication date2017-09-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueConsumption Markets & Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1025-3866 • E-ISSN: 1477-223X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10253866.2017.1367680
OpenAlexW2752488635
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited70

When a gifting relationship is disrupted by death, why might a living consumer continue to invest in it? Consumer spending on deceased loved ones does not end with the funeral. Given the embodying power of a physical gravesite, this article examines the practice of gift giving to the deceased in the context of American cemeteries. We employ a longitudinal approach, in which 180 cemetery gravesites were photographed. The photographic data are coupled with a netnography of grief and bereavement communities. Findings support a restorative perspective of gift exchange. Bereaved consumers utilize restorative giving as a mechanism to cope with loss and maintain relationships with deceased loved ones. We outline five categories of gifts given to the deceased and present a framework of restorative giving practices. Implications are discussed in terms of identity development, symbolic communication, and reciprocity in gift giving, as deceased consumers continue to be recipients of tangible goods

Advertising · Aesthetics · Art · Business · Context (archaeology · Gift giving · Grief · Netnography · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Power (physics · Psychotherapist · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Social media · Sociology · Visual arts · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · History · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Psychology · Social Psychology