Commemorative Events and Public Rituals: Redefining our Leisure Engagement with Violent Death as Healing Practice and/through Social Activism

Abstract

The paper examines the concepts of public grief and social activism in the context of commemorative events, such as candlelight vigils. These candlelight vigils can be viewed as a form of leisure activity as individuals freely chose to attend the event during their free time. Attending such events has the potential to provide therapy to the attendees and contribute towards their wellbeing, similar to the phenomenon of individuals visiting roadside memorials and locally created shrines following an unexpected and/or violent death. The paper focuses on the candlelight vigils held to commemorate high profile murders of women as part of the violence against women focus in Victoria, Australia. These events also provide attendees with the opportunity to engage in social activism, reinforcing that these events provide the opportunity to engage in a blend of both private and public mourning; and may encourage social good via activism which also may be a form of therapeutic practice for wellbeing. The paper introduces the concept of grief leisure as a way to conceptualise the attendance at public event vigils as a therapeutic practice to help deal with grief.