Death, Funerals and Emotion in an Australian Aboriginal Community

This paper discusses emotions as intersubjective states that develop in the interactions between individuals. Central to the discussion is the funeral of an Aboriginal elder in Cape York Peninsula, Australia. The actions of certain of her kin are described, and demonstrate their concern to bridge the gap between the loss of such elders and the uncertainties of a future without their guidance. Funerals are clearly events marking the social change associated with death and allow for intense expressions of grief, but they are also part of the trajectory of everyday life. In the social context discussed, beliefs about intersubjectivity between the spirits of the dead and their living kin inform all spheres of action, including the economic, and require observance of the cultural value of respect'. Understanding emotions as interactive states engaged in such locally significant events sheds light on the relationship between them and collective political aspirations.