I’m embarking upon a book project with the tentative title Homeownership: Dwelling in the Commodity Form. The general topic of the book will be housing. Why? Housing is vital in every sense of the word. It is a fundamental locus of human experience, a powerful spatial form that structures social relations, and a storehouse of wealth. These three themes – dwelling, norms, value – will structure the book’s inquiry. This much I know.
But I’m unsure about the book’s empirical focus, scope and argumentation (although the tentative title offers a hint regarding the direction I’m going). Time and again I’ve been returning to a mantra posed by Peter Sloterdijk (2009, 1): “humans are themselves an effect of the space they create.” Well, what can we learn about the being of being human from the domestic spaces we (N. America) have created? The detached single family home, the row house, the apartment, the hotel, the recreational vehicle, the tent, the emergency shelter, the street…
I’m using the medium of this blog to think ‘out loud,’ refine ideas, and archive material. Comments, suggestions, critiques are welcome.
References
Sloterdijk, P. (2009) Spheres Theory: Talking to Myself About the Poetics of Space. Harvard Design Magazine, Spring/Summer, no. 30, 1-8
Joggerfry 