🌟 Holiday Reading Update 🌟
This holiday season, I’m diving into an area close to my heart: culturally respectful funeral, cemetery, and crematoria services. My reading pile is full of research papers and reports exploring themes of belonging and identity in regions shaped by migration and exclusion.
One key thread I’m following critiques whiteness—not just as a skin colour but as a set of values and practices that sustain privilege. It’s a necessary lens to unpack how "normal" is constructed in these spaces.
I’ll also reflect on Sunshine Coast Council’s festive season signage in cemeteries, raising broader questions about belonging and exclusion. For example, using national symbols like the Australian flag during office hours speaks volumes about how identity is mediated through mobility and place.
This is a rich, complex topic, and I’m eager to see how the research aligns—or contrasts—with our lived experiences. 💭
- Gillian Hall
Photo explanation: The festive season signage is installed at some cemeteries managed by the Sunshine Coast Council (see image in the comments). This raises questions about how symbols like the Australian flag mediate identity and belonging. On National Sorry Day 2023, no flag was raised at Kulangoor Cemetery, where the office is located. Yet, just months earlier, on 13th December 2022, the Australian flag was flown at half-mast in respect of police officers who died on duty. It’s challenging to reconcile these contrasting practices when understanding how people can fully celebrate their culture.
#CulturalRespect #Belonging #EndOfLifeCare #CriticalReflections
Regional Admissions Director, Clinical Liaison- with experience, a very strong work ethic, & many positive references & endorsements
5moWell done. Very beautiful!