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The unexpected places we choose to lay our dead to rest

Updated Monday, 7 September 2026

Watch this award-winning animation and question what you know about different cultural practices after someone dies.

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Do you ever wonder what happens to someone’s body after they die? Maybe you have been to a funeral or seen a cemetery. As societies, across different places and times, people continuously confront the question of ‘where to put the dead’, and have sought to answer this in a multitude of ways.

Drawing on examples from different cultures and historical traditions, this animation offers you an invitation to think about the different practices and how each has value and meaning for people.

Transcript (PDF document108.9 KB) .

This animation won a Learning on Screen Award in 2024 in the category of Online Educational Resource Award.

Acknowledgement

This animation was originally published on OU Connect.

 

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