Medical Mediterraneanisms? End‐of‐life care and the <i>mètre cube</i> in Marseille

This article examines the concept of ‘medical Mediterraneanisms’ through the case of a chapel‐cum‐multifaith space featuring artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's mètre cube de l'infini in Marseille's Paoli‐Calmettes Institute for cancer care. The installation materializes tensions between secularism and pluralistic religious practice in end‐of‐life settings within France's Republican framework. Drawing on ethnographic observations, testimonies and visitor responses documented in the livre d'or (guestbook), the article argues that this space embodies both compromise and provocation, navigating Marseille's postcolonial demographics while challenging rigid secular‐religious binaries. Pistoletto's mètre cube , used primarily by Muslims and Catholics, creates an alternative temporal and spatial framework that accommodates religious expression within ostensibly secular medical institutions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Anthropology Today
Published
2026-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.70062
Primary Topic
Diverse Cultural and Historical Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Medical Mediterraneanisms? End‐of‐life care and the mètre cube in Marseille

Samuel Sami Everett
Anthropology Today
Diverse Cultural and Historical Studies
article

Medical Mediterraneanisms? End‐of‐life care and the mètre cube in Marseille

Samuel Sami Everett
article en

Abstract

This article examines the concept of ‘medical Mediterraneanisms’ through the case of a chapel‐cum‐multifaith space featuring artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's mètre cube de l'infini in Marseille's Paoli‐Calmettes Institute for cancer care. The installation materializes tensions between secularism and pluralistic religious practice in end‐of‐life settings within France's Republican framework. Drawing on ethnographic observations, testimonies and visitor responses documented in the livre d'or (guestbook), the article argues that this space embodies both compromise and provocation, navigating Marseille's postcolonial demographics while challenging rigid secular‐religious binaries. Pistoletto's mètre cube , used primarily by Muslims and Catholics, creates an alternative temporal and spatial framework that accommodates religious expression within ostensibly secular medical institutions.

Anthropology TodayVol. 42(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Diverse Cultural and Historical Studies
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Medical Mediterraneanisms? End‐of‐life care and the <i>mètre cube</i> in Marseille — Samuel Sami Everett · Anthropology Today (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS