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postdeath

Postdeath refers to the state, processes, and events that occur after a person or organism dies. It is not a single discipline but a cross-disciplinary concept used in biology, medicine, law, anthropology, and culture to describe what follows death. In medical and forensic contexts, the related term postmortem denotes the immediate and long-term biological changes that begin after death, including cessation of circulation, cooling of the body (algor mortis), stiffening (rigor mortis), and progressive decomposition. The postmortem interval is the elapsed time since death and is important in forensic investigations, influenced by temperature, humidity, and clothing.

Legal and ethical frameworks govern postdeath handling and decision-making, such as determination of death, documentation, autopsy,

Cultural and religious beliefs shape postdeath practices, including funerary rites, memorialization, and beliefs about afterlife or

Anthropologists study how societies interpret and respond to death, including ritual, mourning, and ancestor veneration.

In literature and media, postdeath themes explore identity, the afterlife, and the ethical dimensions of postmortem

The term postdeath often overlaps with postmortem, after death, and end-of-life discussions, but specific contexts may

organ
and
tissue
donation,
and
the
management
of
remains.
continuity
of
the
person
in
memory.
treatment.
prefer
one
term
over
another.
The
concept
remains
central
to
questions
about
what,
if
anything,
endures
after
death
and
how
societies
approach
the
end
of
human
life.