Pompes Funèbres and the Overflowing of Ostentatious Funerals

Drawing upon the history of the funeral market in France in the nineteenth century, this chapter examines the interaction between Church, State and the first private funeral businesses in shaping the basic arrangements at the root of the market. It brings to light how 'market devices' incorporate calculation formulae to manage the combination of heterogeneous value and political concerns. It shows how the competition on this set of framing, and its on-going reinvention to manage overflowing, lead to the development of the funeral market in France