Not All are Equal at Death: A Study on the System of Family Tombs Among the Syro-Malabar Christians of Kerala

Christians equate death with hope, a viewpoint that is rooted in the belief in the resurrection of the body and in eternal life. Equated with this is the tradition of extravagantly conducting death rituals, a way some people think is showing reverence to the dead. One way of doing this, a tradition in Kerala believes, is by burying their dead in the family tombs. This research aims to explore the perspectives of Syro-Malabar Christians across occupational and economic categories on the system of family tombs in Kerala through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The respondents were categorised into two groups, based on ownership of family tombs. This categorisation corresponded with their economic status. In this essay, the perspectives of both groups regarding the ownership of tombs are discussed. These perspectives are further analysed using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of emotional capital and social space. It emerges that emotional capital is directly related to economic capital, which in turn determines the social space of individuals. This study thus presents a multi-layered understanding of a single aspect: the burial of the dead. It points out contrasting viewpoints of people based on the economy and social structure.