Supranational to the Grave? On the Geopolitics of Corpse Repatriation in the EU

Bibliographic Data

ID4957769
AuthorsSofie I Senecal (University of North Carolina), John Pickles (0000-0002-6736-2183, University of North Carolina, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume28
Issue3
Pages1186-1209
Publication date2023-05-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeopolitics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1465-0045 • E-ISSN: 1557-3028
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14650045.2021.2000398
OpenAlexW4200302468
LanguageEN
References cited21

The paper analyzes the institutions and regulations that govern the transnational movement of dead bodies in contemporary Europe. With the extension of free movement across the European Union and the subsequent expansion of transnational employment, tourism, and retirement, the repatriation of corpses from one member state to another lies in an ambiguous regulatory space. In exploring how dead bodies move between EU member states, and how their movements are regulated within transnational and national systems, the paper pays particular attention to the legacies and continued relevance of mid-century international agreements. Section 1 contextualises the issue of the transportation of mortal remains, discusses our broader theoretical background, and explains our research methods. Section 2 provides an historical overview of the foundational international regulations governing the repatriation of corpses: the 1937 Berlin Agreement and the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement. In Section 3, we present a comprehensive review of the discussion of repatriation of EU citizens between EU countries that occurred in the European Parliament and Commission between 2000 and 2018. In so doing, we focus on the ways in which understanding institutional action and inaction provides a lens on the operation of supranational competency development and its limits, and on the complex ways in which institutional arrangements are interwound within national, international, and transnational practices

Geopolitics · Political science · Politics · Repatriation · Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration

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