Changing Configurations of Día de Muertos during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This pioneering book explores new configurations of Día de Muertos during COVID-19 within considerations of how the pandemic has shaped ideas about death and dying differently. It investigates how commemorative and mourning practices changed in Mexico during the turbulent years of 2020-21 and, through its innovative case studies of Mexican communities in Ireland and the UK, asks how the festival contributed in all three regions to global conversations about grief, mental health, and gender-based violence. We offer original analysis of Día de Muertos expressions including marches, dance performances, masks, film, and calavera poetry, alongside online and digital community and home-based creative gestures. Our analysis reveals how Mexicans and Mexicans abroad have engaged with the rich compendium of Día de Muertos symbolic and narrative systems in order to discuss how COVID-19 has re-framed ideas of loss and renewal more widely.