Phenomenology of the Corpse

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the meaning of the concern about thecommercialization of the corpse in contemporary Mexico, especially its use in witchcraft rituals by organized crime. Next, it is argued that the problem is not commercialization as such but the reasons why the corpse is attributed to sacredness. This problem is then examined based on Bataille's heterology and the concept of necropolitics, both of which, it is argued, correctly points out that the meaning of what a corpse is is inseparable from the kind of liminal place it produces. However, it is proposed that these theoretical perspectives need to account for how such production originates. Finally, transcendental phenomenology can contribute to elucidating the liminality inherent in the corpse through the distinction between the living body and the physical body.