Camosun College's Anthropology students will present "Death at the Castle", a Victorian-era themed pop-up exhibit exploring cultural perspectives on death, mourning, and remembrance. The event will take over all four floors of Craigdarroch Castle, providing a fully immersive learning experience for the public on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Anthropology of Death students are partnering with Craigdarroch Castle to explore fascinating aspects of death in a historical context, including death photography, the social messages of grave markers and mourning clothing, Spiritualism, and food and music traditions.
"We are going back in time, and we are inviting the public to come to the wake to see what that would be like," says Anthropology instructor Nicole Kilburn, who teaches the course.
The Victorian period is the ideal setting because it featured strong traditions around memorializing death, influenced by social and economic changes during the Industrial Revolution. Practices such as memorial photography, mourning attire, insurance plans for proper burials, and public demonstration of grief help us contrast Victorian familiarity with death to contemporary Western discomfort around mortality.
The topic is increasingly relevant due to Canada's aging demographic and ongoing conversations about end-of-life care.
"People want to have more agency in terms of end-of-life care. There's more interest in being present and feeling all of it, even the hard stuff," says Nicole.
Since its inception in 2018, Kilburn's course has thrived on innovative experiential learning opportunities in partnership with the Royal BC Museum, and the current collaboration with Craigdarroch Castle exemplifies that approach.
"Craigdarroch Castle has been an excellent partner. They have been incredibly generous with their time and want to make the experience work for students. They want to be teachers in our community and are also receptive to being learners," adds Kilburn.
John Hughes, Executive Director of Craigdarroch Castle, echoes Kilburn's sentiments.
"We are delighted to partner with Nicole Kilburn and Camosun College students for the Anthropology of Death Capstone Event at Craigdarroch Castle. It fits nicely with the Castle Society's continuing efforts to connect with our community and the desire to offer new experiences in the museum. We're excited for the students shine a light on this topic, which is of great interest to many of our visitors."
While the funeral rites and rituals will loosely focus on John O'Neill, a fictional man of British background who has died in the year 1900, students are also examining other perspectives on death that were part of the community during that period. For example, the perspectives of Chinese immigrants, whose labour in Vancouver Island coal mines helped Robert Dunsmuir build Craigdarroch Castle, were quite different from European ones. Burial in a cemetery like Ross Bay (and later Harling Point) was only a temporary measure with the ultimate goal being to return to their homeland and the care of their families. This offers a reminder that mortuary traditions are influenced by culture and socioeconomics.
Nicole Kilburn emphasizes that applied learning allows students to engage deeply with the topic of death in a meaningful and supported way for their capstone projects.
"Courses and activities like this provide us an opportunity to think about death and talk about it in a safe way, but also to appreciate being alive," says Kilburn. "Death and grief can be very personal topics and I'm clear about that from the very beginning with students. We are exploring it in a respectful and culturally sensitive way, but it can't help but get personal!"
The event runs from 1 - 3pm on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Craigdarroch Castle and all activities are included in the price of a regular admission.
Learn more about Anthropology of Death and other anthropology courses at camosun.ca/anthropology.
