Lampedusa,3 October 2013: Anatomy of a social representation 1

Abstract

This article discusses the tragic events that took place in Lampedusa on 3 October 2013, by comparing two opposing yet intertwining cultural processes. The first one (dematerializing) involves actors and social agencies in concealing and rarefying the material aspects connected to death. The second (materializing) is based on the recognition of death in ‘corporeal’ terms. Both of these processes mobilize physical and cognitive resources and are deployed on both a symbolic and real level.