After reading Brigette Jordan’s article titled, Authoritative Knowledge, I feel as though I have gained a greater understanding regarding one person’s account of authoritarian medical knowledge. When I first began reading, I was under the impression that having a knowledgeable authoritarian in the workforce would be a beneficial thing, but as I continued I began to be persuaded that this may not be the case. Paul Starr describes the historical medical field that once provided care by, “barber surgeons, homeopaths, folk healthers of various kinds, midwives…” (Jordan 1992), was in need of a more authoritarian figure to be in charge of ‘the facts’. I can definitely acknowledge the importance of leaving a multi-stranded, pluralistic system in the past and moving towards a more cohesive workforce, however it is necessary to recall the lack of correctness that may come from this one source of knowledge. Jordan describes the label of authoritative as being intended to maintain status and the group’s definition of morality and rationality. Because of this, “the power of authoritative knowledge is not that it is correct but that it counts” (Jordan 1992). There are many reasons that I can see authoritarian knowledge in the medical field as being beneficial, but I would also understand if there are places in which this tactic was misused. For this reason, I am intrigued to unearth the ways in which culture affects death in Colombia and how it is compared to the United States. 

I conducted a decent amount of research to determine the ways in which death is pronounced and how people cope. There are two routes that Colombians take to determine and certify the death of a citizen. If the person has died due to natural causes, a doctor must certify the death and issue a medical certificate which is submitted to the Civil Registry by a notary. On the other hand, if a death was non-natural or occurred in suspicious circumstances, the Medicina Legal carries out an autopsy and issues a report of their investigation to a Notary to be registered in the Civil Registry. One interesting thing that I learned was that there are mandatory autopsies conducted if the death is linked to crime, violence, accidents, drugs, or if there is no explanation (Anglioinfo 2019). For these reasons, I am led to believe that the government is very involved in the deaths of its citizens, and therefore hold the authoritative knowledge. 

Once the body has been determined deceased by these authoritarians, it may then be prepared to be laid. The most economical and therefore most popular method in Colombia is cremation. An interesting difference between my own culture of funerals and that of Colombians is that a member of the family typically conducts the Service. The whole ceremony is also much more casual than what I have experienced. People attend wearing anything from their dirty work clothes to a suit, and there is no positive or negative stigma for either. The important fact of the matter is that one made an effort to come say their goodbyes. It is also not uncommon for the remains of a body that was buried to be later dug up and replaced, in order to make space for other family members in the tomb (Barr 2017). Coming from my opinion that was formed through an American cultural perspective, I was first led to think that this process is not very dignified for the body that was laid to rest. When I ponder the act from a Colombian perspective, however, it is for the well-being of the most recently deceased, and therefore a selfless act of the remains (if that person still had a ‘self’ and could choose, I believe the Colombian culture and normalities would lead the elder deceased to be more than willing to trade his or her old resting place to a new loved one). 

Further reflection on Colombian death practices has opened my mind to the idea of authoritative knowledge, and I feel as though it is working well in this society. Although the government has a large say on the physical determination and processing of death, the authoritarian knowledge then seems to be passed to the family for final decisions such as whether or not their loved one will be buried or cremated. I think that the transition from having the Medicina Legal and Registro Civil authorize the death to having a family member lead the Service shows that the two authorities work hand in hand for this event, which I find commendable. 

Barr, Gerald. “No Weddings and Colombian Funerals.” The Bogotá Post, 2 June 2017, thebogotapost.com/no-weddings-and-colombian-funerals/21746/.

“Death and Dying – Colombia.” Angloinfo, 2019, www.angloinfo.com/how-to/colombia/healthcare/death-dying.

Jordan, B. (1992). Authoritative-Knowledge. Institute for Research on Learning.