Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Ellis, Meredith A.B.

Abstract

The desire to own human skeletal remains has been prevalent for many years; in our modern technological age avenues for this market have exploded across the internet. This research focuses on Facebook groups dedicated to oddity sales and collecting. Purchasing human remains is illegal in Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee as well as prohibited by Facebook terms of service, but these sales persist. Over the course of 2021, 319 listings for human skeletal remains were recorded across six Facebook groups. These listings accounted for most skeletal elements found within the human skeleton. Many elements are artistic in nature, something viewed as “Giving a second life” to the remains, as observed within these groups. To fully understand the driving force behind this market requires cultural insight about the perception of human remains as well as the culture found within these groups. Kinship, friendship, and trust are all clearly expressed between buyers and sellers.

Extent

70 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2023.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00014173

Format

pdf

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