Garvey, Pauline
(2005)
DOMESTIC BOUNDARIES
Privacy, Visibility and the Norwegian Window.
Journal of Material Culture, 10.
pp. 157-176.
ISSN 1359-1835
Abstract
The article presents an exploration of domestic borders in the Norwegian
town of Skien. Differences between homes may be minimal, however the
differentiation between homes, can occasionally, be marked (Wallman,
1978: 203). This observation has relevance for Norwegian and Somali house-
holds whereby perceptions of domestic boundaries, visibility and definitions
of privacy are analysed. The domestic window is shown to provide one
material medium for the negotiation of ethnic identity and social classifi-
cation. I argue notions of the private are dynamic and contextual and
frequently have less to do with ‘being seen’ than with a perception of the
social gaze. Consequently, looking at ethnic minorities, Norwegian locals
and the private home in Skien does not just imply investigating the link
between visibility and privacy but questioning the ideas on which this link
is based, and rethinking notions of privacy itself.
Item Type: |
Article
|
Keywords: |
ethnicity;
ethnicity; privacy ; public and private boundaries; windows; |
Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Anthropology |
Item ID: |
8371 |
Depositing User: |
Dr Pauline Garvey
|
Date Deposited: |
27 Jun 2017 12:31 |
Journal or Publication Title: |
Journal of Material Culture |
Publisher: |
SAGE Publications |
Refereed: |
Yes |
URI: |
|
Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
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