Redesigning Deathcare Conference 2022 – accepting submissions

The inaugural Redesigning Deathcare Conference will hosted by the University of Melbourne on 27–29 October 2022, with in-person and online presentations.

We are now inviting expressions of interest that address the following theme. EOIs close 28 February. See the conference website for more detail about ways to participate.

How might we reimagine the future of deathcare?

‘Deathcare’ describes our total system for responding to death, from ageing and the end-of-life, through to body disposal and bereavement.

The acute threat posed by COVID-19 over the last two years has exacerbated deeper challenges to our contemporary models of deathcare, from climate change to an ageing population. Such forces are not simply threats, they also invite innovation and creativity.

Redesigning Deathcare invites contributions from diverse perspectives to collectively imagine and build a holistic system of deathcare. People today are presented with ever-expanding individual choice around the end-of-life, but are also forced to navigate complex, fragmented systems of care that fail to provide equitable and meaningful outcomes. As it stands, deathcare is artificially separated into silos, organised around different stages (dying, death, commemoration, etc.), different professions (medical clinicians, funeral directors, counsellors, etc.), and academic disciplines (medicine, anthropology, law, etc.).

The conference asks delegates to consider:

  • How do we remake our deathcare system so that it better meets community needs, not just today, but for future generations?
  • How do we bridge long-standing divides in how we imagine and manage the end-of-life?
  • How might contested views of the future be productively and equitably debated and resolved?
  • How are the future of the planet and the future of deathcare intertwined?

The program at Redesigning Deathcare is organised around four key challenges:

  • Demography
  • Environmental Crisis
  • Diversity & Justice
  • Technology

Expressions of interest close 28 February 2022. Registration and full submissions close 31 May 2022.

More details at redesigningdeathcare.org.