We are pleased to announce that Dr Jennifer Riley, Research Fellow in the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History at the University of Aberdeen, will be one of the distinguished speakers at TEDxAberdeen 2024. Selected from nearly 100 candidates, Jennie will talk on 16 November at the Music Hall in Aberdeen.
Jennie’s TEDx talk will explore the subject of grave goods—the objects and items placed alongside the dead during burial or cremation. While often associated with ancient cultures such as the Egyptians or Anglo-Saxons, grave goods remain an important way for people in contemporary Britain to mark death. In her talk, Jennie will take the audience on a journey through the modern practice of selecting these items and discuss how they serve as a reflection of individual and relational identities. She argues that grave goods encapsulate the unique characteristics of those who have died, as well as their relationships with the living. Grave goods, according to Jennie, help us manage the complex emotions surrounding death in three key ways: they help us acknowledge, manage, and even defy death. Through the selection of personal, symbolic items, we come to terms with the inevitability of death while also celebrating the lives and relationships that defined those we have lost. Jennie will also challenge the audience to reconsider their approach to death, encouraging open conversations about a subject that often remains taboo in British society. Her talk promises to be an insightful and thought-provoking exploration of how we can use rituals like grave goods to face the ultimate human experience—death.
TEDxAberdeen 2024 will be held at the Music Hall in Aberdeen on 16 November. The event will feature 10 speakers addressing various aspects of the theme 'identity.'