Residence

Abstract

For many people house is home; the dwellings people live in, and the meanings ascribed to them, constitute feelings of belonging described as being ‘at home’ or ‘homely’. As we outlined in Chapter 1, and as is now commonly accepted (see a recent summary in Handel 2019), home is more than house: home is constructed at multiple scales and takes material forms beyond that of a physical shelter, and house-as-home is dynamically created. In this chapter we chart the myriad relationships between house and home. We firstly aim to investigate how home as an ideal is materialised in the form of dwelling structures. Through an analysis of the spatial layout and form of dwellings, we can begin to comprehend the diverse historical and geographical meanings of home. Our second aim is to illustrate ways of thinking home geographically. House-as-home brings to the fore the identity politics of home. Whereas the spatial layout and perception of many forms of dwelling correspond to dominant ideologies of home, these ideas are constantly resisted and recast through homemaking practices. In our discussion of various forms of housing, we use people’s house-based practices to illustrate their active engagement with ideas of home, especially those bound to family, comfort, and security. Finally, house-as-home demonstrates the multi-scalar politics of home. Certainly, much of the discussion of this chapter confines itself to houses and domestic practices. However, we also show the multiple scales of these places and practices, whereby home can be stretched beyond houses or shrink to the body.