Liminality, the Dead, and the Undead

Another anthropology class I'm taking right now is The Anthropology of Zombies, and it's interesting to see the overlaps in content between the zombie class and our class about Funerary Archaeology. In particular, I've noticed that there has been significant discussion on the concepts of Rites of Passage and liminality in both classes. In our archaeology class, we've talked about funerals as a rite that helps individuals move from the realm of the living to the afterlife, and helps communities and families move forward through their mourning. What I've found particularly fascinating in the zombie class, however, is the idea of this liminal period being suspended indefinitely. Instead of passing naturally from a state of life to a state of death, zombies are perpetually "betwixt and between." And in their state that is both and neither living and dead, they are monstrous to us.

Image from AMC's "The Walking Dead" television series (2011).