Catriona Brickel

I am investigating in-memoriam support (that is, giving to charity as an act of remembrance for the dead) through digital memorials as a post-mortem mourning ritual. I also explore how charitable fundraisers can solicit such donations proactively, yet sensitively and consider how practice and regulatory policy may need to change in light of this. 

This research intersects with multiple broad areas of academic investigation, including the development of contemporary mourning rituals, public mourning practices via digital tools, grief experiences, fundraising and marketing tactics, the (re)creation of identity through online profiles and the study of digital death. I advocate for taking a sociological approach both to the study of death and mourning but also charity fundraising and the social construction of giving.