A Provincial City Shows Respect : Shopping and Mourning in Bath

A unique anthropological study of the City of Bath reveals how local communities expressed grief and respect during the national mourning period for Diana, Princess of Wales. The research highlights regional variations in mourning practices, particularly through the creation of impromptu shop window shrines dedicated to Diana, which were documented on the morning of her funeral—a time when public displays were expected to peak but many people were indoors watching television. A follow-up interview a year later captured the enduring impact of these spontaneous tributes and their role in shaping communal mourning rituals. The study provides insight into local aesthetics, appropriateness norms, and the lasting social changes triggered by collective grief.

(Ed.). A Provincial City Shows Respect : Shopping and Mourning in Bath. The Mourning for Diana. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474215787.ch-014