Domesticities

Domesticities, as reflected in contemporary cultural geography and defined in this chapter, are the processes and sites through which people create senses of belonging, safety, security, and comfort. Contemporary cultural geographers' engagement with domesticity both draws upon and exceeds these popular and historical definitions. Thus, this chapter begins with key theoretical currents in cultural geographers' understanding of domesticities, tracing the ways in which engagement with feminist, material culture, and postcolonial perspectives currently defines the term. It then considers domesticities through two lenses: domesticities in the house-as-home and domesticities beyond the house. Separately, these lenses encompass key geographical ideas; together, they encapsulate the spectrum of contemporary scholarship on domesticities.