If the costs of giving birth to a human being must be covered by Social
Security, why shouldn't those of death be? Alban Beaudoin and Jean-Loupde Saint-Phalle, founders of the collective For a Social Security for
Death, defend this point of view in a book, The Cost of Death, and in
their gesticulated lectures entitled A Dance of Death. ---- The book
offers interesting reflections on the unequal situation when a loved one
dies. Death, including all types of funerals, graves, burials, and
cremations, is very expensive and is a means of social distinction (just
look at the visible differences in a single cemetery). The afterlife
carries with it the question of class. Meanwhile, funeral homes maintain
the lucrative nature of death, caught up in the pursuit of profit and
profitability imperatives. While grief is a universal pain, those who
suffer most from social hardship, poverty, or ableism, are still those
who, in proportion to their income, spend the most after the loss of a
loved one.
The authors therefore speak of a "Social Security to the End" project,
because since death is a part of life, why limit Social Security to
existing branches? Following the project of a Social Security for Food
that has been spreading for several years, a branch for death, also
financed by social contributions, coupled with the socialization of
funeral businesses, which should no longer be privately owned, could be
a demand of our class. The idea is certainly gaining ground but is still
far too little publicized. It is therefore up to us, activists, to speak
out and debate the issue. This book, along with the collective's
gesticulated lectures, provides a way to understand this issue, which
speaks to everyone, in accessible language. We can also appreciate the
emphasis given to the testimonies of bereaved loved ones, the responses
provided by the authors, as well as the mythological references used as
chapter titles to illustrate the subject: "Charon's Obol," "The Status
of Anubis." Indeed, there is no culture, no people, that has not had to
organize the issues related to death. In this regard, reference is made
to certain organizational methods of ancient peoples where it would have
been unthinkable for death to be a market. Current examples such as the
city of Geneva also show that community-based care is not utopian. The
experience of the Rennes funeral cooperative mentioned in our
columns[1]is an example of a company that could be approved by the
Social Security system for the dead.
Finally, the authors do not overlook the working conditions and demands
of funeral workers. While class struggle is not very prevalent, it is
not non-existent. A united front with the bereaved for popular control
and socialization can be imagined.
Marius (UCL Toulouse)
Alban Beaudoin and Jean-Loup de Saint-Phalle, The Cost of Death: Social
Security Until the End, 2025, Éditions du Détour, 139 pages, EUR14.90.
Validate
[1]"Read: Claire Richard and Louise Drul, The Rennes Funeral
Cooperative: Our Dead Deserve Better," Alternative libertaire No. 361,
June 2025.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lire-Alban-Beaudoin-et-Jean-Loup-de-Saint-Phalle-Le-cout-de-la-mort-La-Securite
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