We Have Never Been Home
Keywords:
home, homelessness, beyond-homeness, homemaking, space, infrastructure, social policyAbstract
In care research, the notion of “home” often emerges as a key concern, with its conceptualization shaping social policy priorities. This article critically examines the idea of “possessing” a home, which is framed in two main ways: as a physical space that can be inhabited, modified, lost, or reclaimed, and as a site imbued with symbolic or emotional meaning, domesticated through human engagement. Both perspectives tend to fixate on the moment a person becomes the “owner” of their version of home, often bringing discussions to an early close. The article argues that home is not a stable physical space offering ontological security or affective attachment, but rather the outcome of ongoing infrastructural and social transformations. It introduces the concept of “beyond-homeness”, shifting attentionenactments from of homethe home. This/homelessness framework accounts binary towardfor material multiple conditions, dynamic as well as memories, rituals, spatial practices, and forms of synchronization with others and with (non)material objects. By doing so, it exposes the limitations of interventions that reduce support for the homeless to housing provision alone and emphasizes the need to consider how home is continuously reassembled even after shelter is acquired.Downloads
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