The Home: Words, Interpretations, Meanings and Environments

THE WORD “HOME” is widely used, but not well defined. Its meaning extends beyond that of the house, in both abstract and spatial terms. This cross-disciplinary volume sets out to interrogate the definition of home, looks at where homes can be found, investigates ways of studying the concept, and questions whether it is a useful concept. A crosscutting theme is the need to recognize the socio-cultural, historical and geographical contexts within which homes are situated. This acknowledges the tendency for researchers to take for granted ethnocentric - mainly European/American - definitions of the term. It is argued that understanding the concept of home is important for the following reasons: it is helpful to the environment debate because “the home is an expression of the values and attitudes with which societies and individuals relate to their surroundings”; it is an important entry point into cultural history; it is revealing of the sociopolitical significance of the home; and it is a way of “looking at therapeutic or healing environments in a new light” since the home serves “as a reference for the origin of pathologies or wellness” (pages 3-4). Four chapters in part one explore the different meanings behind the concept. While some contributors reject the usefulness of a universal definition of home, others argue that attempting to devise a definition that can be applied across cultures and which has relevance throughout history is a useful project. Three chapters in part two point to specific areas of study (prehistoric studies, Viking Age archaeology, and environmental design) where the term can aid understanding. Part three applies the concept of home to the study of change in present or past societies: “The present contention over the control and habitation of living environments all over the world certainly makes this view of the home highly topical. People’s attitudes about who should live where, and for what reason, are some of the central socio-political issues of the last quarter of the twentieth century” (page 8). Important here are contemporary processes of economic decline and warfare which frequently result in mass movements of people from their homes, or which force people into a position where they must fight to retain their homes. In this section a chapter on ethnoarchaeology by Susan Kent is particularly interesting. This looks at people’s perceptions and delineation of space, and contrasts the views of sedentary Euro-Americans, once semi-sedentary Navajo Indians, and the formerly nomadic Basarwa in Botswana.

Part four looks at ways of improving the built environment, and of contributing to the design of future settlements. It is argued that “Present trends, such as worldwide population growth and increasing migration to cities in many countries are mere indicators of the real world designers and researchers will have to deal with. Thus, we need to intensify our examination of traditional architecture and interpretation, and listen more closely to what dwellers tell us today, so that we can begin to make a healthy and meaningful future” (page 10). Chapters in this section examine housing design in post-war Denmark; neighbourhood planning in Sweden during the 1940s and 1950s; and lessons to be learnt from the reconstruction of prehistoric buildings. Part Five summarizes the key arguments set out in earlier chapters and outlines directions for future research. Although academic in style and sometimes rather difficult to read, this volume will prove useful to geographers, architects, anthropologists and students of environmental design and other related subjects.